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Collection  de 
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Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  mr  :roreproductions  historiques 


9 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notat/Notaa  tachniquat  at  bibliographiquas 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  bast 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


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Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagie 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculAe 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relid  avec  d'autres  documents 

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along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int^rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  duri  ig  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutAes 
lors  dune  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  film^es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplimentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm*  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  At*  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
una  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mtthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 


Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul6es 


|~~|    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


q1 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  dicolories.  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 


I     I   Pages  detached/ 


D 


Pages  d6tach6es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplimentaire 

Only  editio.i  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


r~T  Showthrough/ 

I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I    Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I      I    Only  editio.i  available/ 


T 
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Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
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Les  pages  totalennent  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
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Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

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Th«  copy  filmad  h«r«  has  b««n  raproducad  thanka 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

Library  Diviiion 

Provmcial  Archjvrti  of  British  Columbia 


L'axamplaira  film*  f ut  raproduit  grina  A  la 
gAnArosIt*  da: 

Library  Diviiion 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
posaibis  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif ications. 


Las  imagas  siiivantaa  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  I'axamplaira  film*,  at  an 
conformit*  avac  las  conditions  du  uontrat  da 
filmaga. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  an  filmad 
bagidning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Las  axamplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  imprim*a  sont  film*s  an  commandant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darni*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axam|.!airas 
originaux  sont  film*s  9n  comman9ant  par  la 
prami*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration  at  9n  tarminant  par 
la  darni*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  taila 
amprainta. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  ^^>  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED ").  or  tha  symbol  V  (moaning  "END  "I. 
whichavar  applias. 


Un  das  symbolas  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
darni*ra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha.  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  -^  signifia  "A  SUIVRE  ",  la 
symbols  ▼  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  platas,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  includad  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  cornar,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bostom.  as  many  framas  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrams  illustrata  tha 
mathod: 


<.as  cartas,  planchas.  tablaaux.  ate.  pauvant  *tra 
film*s  *  das  taux  da  r*duction  diff*rants. 
Lorsque  la  documant  ast  trop  grand  pour  *tra 
raproduit  an  un  saul  clich*.  il  ast  film*  *  partir 
da  I'angia  sup*riaur  gaucha,  da  gaucha  *  droita, 
at  da  haut  9n  bas.  an  pranant  la  nombra 
d'imagas  n*cassaira.  Las  diagrammas  suivants 
illustrant  la  m*thoda. 


1 

2 

3 

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l,v  S 


SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION HHHKAL'  OF  liTIINOlAMiV 

.1.  W.  POWKIX,  IHHIXTOIJ 


I 


lit 


INTRODUCTION 


TO  THK 


STUDY  OF  MORTUARY  CUSTOMS 


AMONG  THr 


NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS 


BY  r>K.  H.  C.  YA.RROW 

ACT.  A88T.  aUMO.  U.  8.  A. 


-♦■^^k^*— 


I 


r  J 


I 


WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT    PBINTING    OFFIOB 

188U 


Smithsonian  iNbTirurioN, 

Bureau  ok  Etunology, 

Washington,  D.  C,  July  8,  1880. 

This  little  volume  is  the  third  of  a  series  designed  to  promote  anthro- 
pologic researches  among  the  North  American  Indians.  The  first  was 
]>repared  by  myself,  and  entitled  **  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Indian 
Languages;"  the  second  by  Col.  Gan-ick  Mallery,  entitled  "Introduction 
to  the  Study  of  Sign-Language  among  the  North  American  Indians." 

The  following  are  in  course  of  preparation  and  will  soon  appear: 

Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Medicine  Practices  among  the  North 
American  Indians. 

Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Mythology  among  the  North  American 
Indians. 

Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Sociology  among  the  North  American 
Indians. 

The  mortuary  customs  of  savage  or  barbaric  people  have  a  deep 
significance  from  the  fact  that  in  them  are  revealed  much  of  the  philosophy 
of  the  people  by  whom  they  are  practiced.  Early  beliefs  concerning  the 
nature  of  human  existence  in  life  and  after  death,  and  the  relations  of  the 
living  to  the  dead,  are  recorded  in  these  customs.  The  mystery  concerning 
the  future;  love  for  the  departed  who  were  loved  while  here;  reverence 
for  the  wise  and  good  who  may  after  death  be  wiser  and  better;  hatred 
and  fear  of  those  who  were  enemies  here  and  may  have  added  powers  of 
enmity  in  the  hereafter — all  these  and  like  considerations  have  led  in 
every  tribe  to  a  body  of  customs  of  exceeding  interest  as  revealing  the 
opinions,  the  philosophy  of  the  people  themselves. 

In  these  customs,  also,  are  recorded  evidences  of  the  social  condition 


III 


5nn!^9 


IV 


»»f  the  people,  tlio  affection  in  wliicli  friends  nnd  kindred  are  held,  the  very 
be/finnings  of  altniiHm  in  primitive  life. 

In  like  manner  these  enstoms  constitute  n  record  of  the  moral  condi- 
tion of  the  people,  as  in  many  ways  they  exiiibit  the  ethic  standards  by 
which  conduct  in  human  life  is  judged.  For  such  reasons  the  study  of 
mortuary  customs  is  of  profound  interest  to  the  anthropologist. 

It  is  hoped  that  by  this  method  of  research  the  observations  of  many 
nien  may  bo  brought  together  and  placed  on  permanent  record,  and  that 
the  body  of  material  may  be  sufficient,  by  a  careful  comparative  study, 
to  warrant  some  general  discussion  concerning  the  philosophy  of  this 
de])artment  of  human  conduct. 

General  conclusions  can  be  reached  with  safety  only  after  materials 
froni  many  sources  have  been  obtained.  It  will  not  be  safe  for  the  col- 
lector to  speculate  much  upon  that  which  he  observes.  His  own  theory  or 
explanation  of  cu.stoms  will  be  of  little  worth,  but  the  theory  and  explana- 
tion given  by  the  Indians  will  be  of  the  greatest  value.  What  do  the 
Indians  do,  and  say,  and  lielieve.'  When  these  are  before  us  it  matters 
little  whether  cuu-  generalizations  be  true  or  false.  Wiser  men  may  come 
and  use  the  facts  to  a  truer  purpose.  It  is  proposed  to  make  a  purely 
objective  study  (»f  the  Indians,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  leave  the  record 
uninarred  by  vain  subjective  si)eculations. 

The  student  who  is  j)ursuing  his  researches  in  this  field  should  care- 
fully note  all  of  the  customs,  superstitions,  and  opinions  of  the  Indians 
reliiting  to — 

1.  The  care  of  the  lifeless  body  prior  to  burial,  much  of  wliIcii  iie  will 
find  elaborated  into  sacred  ceremonies. 

2.  The  method  of  burial,  including  the  site  of  burial,  the  attitude  in 
which  the  body  is  placed,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  in^'estured.  Here, 
also,  he  will  find  interesting  and  curious  ceremonial  observances.  The 
superstititms  and  opinions  (»f  the  people  relating  to  these  subjects  are  of 
imp»»rtance. 

v5  'I'ho  gifts  offered  to  the  dead ;  not  only  those  placed  with  the  body 
at  the  tinni  (»f  burial,  but  those  offered  at  a  subsequent  time  for  the  bene- 
faction of  the  departed  on  his  way  to  the  other  world,  and  for  his  use 


\ 


on  nrrivnl.  Here,  too,  it  h  as  important  for  \in  to  know  tlio  coremonios 
with  which  the  gifts  are  made  as  to  know  the  character  of  the  gifts 
themselves. 

4.  An  interesting  branch  of  tliis  research  relates  to  the  custonis  of 
monrning,  embracing  the  time  of  mourning,  the  habiliments,  the  self-muti- 
lations, and  other  penances,  and  the  ceremonies  with  which  these  are 
accompanied.  In  all  of  these  cases  the  reason  assigned  by  the  Indians  for 
their  doings,  their  superstitions,  and  explanations  are  of  prime  importance. 

f).  It  is  desirable  to  obtain  from  the  Indians  their  explanation  of  human 
life,  their  theory  of  spirits  and  of  the  life  to  come. 

A  complete  account  of  these  customs  in  any  tribe  will  necessitate  the 
witnessing  of  many  funeral  rites,  as  the  custom  will  differ  at  the  death  of 
different  persons,  depending  upon  age,  sex,  and  social  standing.  To  ol)tain 
their  explanations  and  superstitions,  it  will  be  necessary  to  interrogate  the 
Indians  themselves.  This  is  not  an  easy  task,  for  the  Indians  do  not  talk 
with  freedom  about  their  dead.  The  awe  with  which  they  are  inspired, 
their  reverence  and  love  for  the  departed,  and  their  fear  that  knowledge 
which  may  be  communicated  may  be  used  to  the  injury  of  those  whom 
they  have  loved,  or  of  themselves,  lead  them  to  excessive  reticence  on  these 
subjects.  Their  feelings  should  not  be  rudely  wounded.  The  better  and 
more  thoughtful  members  of  the  tribe  will  at  last  converse  freely  on  these 
subjects  with  those  in  whom  they  have  learned  to  place  confidence.  The 
stories  of  ignorant  white  men  and  camp  attaches  should  be  wholly 
discarded,  and  all  accoimts  should  be  composed  of  things  actually 
observed,  and  of  relations  made  by  Indians  of  probity. 

This  preliminary  volume  by  Dr.  II.  C.  Yarrow  has  been  the  subject  of 
careful  research  and  of  much  observation,  and  will  serve  in  many  ways  as 
a  hint  to  the  student.  The  literatm-e  of  the  subject  is  vast,  but  to  a  large 
extent  worthless,  from  the  fact  that  writers  have  been  hasty  travelers  or 
subjective  speculators  on  the  matter.  It  is  strange  how  much  of  accepted 
history  must  be  rejected  when  the  statements  are  carefully  criticised  and 
compared  with  known  facts.  It  has  frequently  been  stated  of  this  or  that 
tribe  that  nuitilations,  as  the  cutting  off  of  fingers  and  toes,  of  ears  and 
tiose,  the  pulling  out  of  teeth,  Ac,  are  extensively  practiced  as  n  mode  of 


▼1 


I 


mourning;,  nn«l  wild  sfoncH  of  niainiing  «n«l  hloodHlu'd  nre  depicted  as  fol- 
lowing upon  the  death  of  a  beloved  chief  or  great  ''ijin;  yet,  among  theso 
tribes  maimed  persons  are  rarely  found.  It  is  probable  that  there  is  some 
basis  of  fact  for  the  statement  that  mutilations  are  in  rare  instances  prac- 
ticed among  some  tribes.  But  oven  this  cpialitied  statement  needs  absolute 
proof. 

I  am  pleased  to  assure  those  who  will  take  part  in  this  work  by  earnest 
and  faithful  research  that  Dr.  Yarrow  will  treat  them  generously  by  giving 
them  full  credit  for  their  work  in  his  final  ])ublication. 

I  must  not  fail  to  j)resent  my  thanks  to  the  Surgeon-General  of  the 
United  States  Army  and  his  corps  of  officers  for  the  interest  and  assistance 
they  have  rendered 

J.  W.  POWELL. 


L. 


Wabiiinoton,  D.  C  ,  April  5,  1880. 
Dear  Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  offer  for  your  coiisidemtion  the  follow- 
ing paper  upon  the  Mortuary  Customs  of  the  North  American  Indians,  and 
trust  it  may  meet  with  your  approval  as  an  introduction  to  the  study  of  a 
subject  which,  while  it  has  been  alluded  to  by  most  authors,  has  received 
little  or  no  systematic  treatment  For  this  and  other  reasons  I  was  induced 
some  three  years  since  to  commence  an  examination  and  collection  of  data 
relative  to  the  matter,  and  the  present  paper  is  the  outcome  of  that  effort. 
From  the  vast  amount  of  material  in  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  even  at  the 
present  time,  a  large  volume  might  be  prepared,  but  it  was  thought  wiser 
to  endeavor  to  obtain  a  still  greater  array  of  facts,  especially  from  living 
observers.  If  the  desired  end  is  attained  I  shall  not  count  as  lost  the  labor 
which  has  been  bestowed. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  C.  YARROW. 

Maj.  J.  W.  Powell, 

In  charge  of  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  Smithsonian  Institution. 


\ 


ra 


^ 


f 


\ 


■4 


I 


"J he  wised  of  lamp  lells  us,  lljat  il  is  better  to  go  to  the  yivuse  of 
Mourning,  than  to  that  of  laughter,  r^hd  those  wljo  Ijave  well  con- 
sider'd  the  grounds  h,'  had  for  tJ/is  Ih  judgment,  will  not,  by  the  title 
of  this   book  fas    melancholy   as   il  apyearsj,  be   affrigljled   from    the 

perusing  it. 

"W?at  we  read  to  Jjave  been,  and  dill  to  be,  Ibe  custom  of  some 
nations,  to   make   sepulchres    tlje  repositories   of  t/jeir  greatest  riches,  is 
(X  am   sure)  universally  true   in  a  moral   sense,   however   it    may    be 
thought  in  the  literal;    there  being  never  a  grave  but   what  conceals   a 
treasure,   though  all  have  not  the  art  to  discover  it.      X  do  not  here 
invite  the  covetous  miser  to  disturb  t/je  dead,  who  can  frame  no  idea  of 
treasure  disdnd  from  gold  and  silver;    but  h'un  who  knows  that  wisdom 
and  virtue  are  the  true  and  sole  riches  of  man.      Xs  not  truth  a  treasure, 
think  you?      Which  yd,  'J)emocrHus  assures  us,  is  buried  in  a  deep  pit 
or  grave;   and  he  had   reason;    for  whereas   we  med  elsewhere  with 
nothing  but  pain  and  deceit,  we  no  sooner  look  down  into  a  grave,  but 
truth  facelh  us,  and  tells  us  our  own." Murbt. 


m, 


lit 


h 


Ci 


INQUIRIES  AND  SUGGESTIONS 


UPON  THE 


MORTUARY  CUSTOMS   OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


BY  H.  C.  YARROW. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

The  primitive  manners  and  customs  of  the  North  American  Indians 
are  rapidly  passing  away  under  influences  of  civilization  and  other  dis- 
turbing elements.     In  view  of  this  fact,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  all  inter- 
ested in  preserving  a  record  of  these  customs  to  labor  assiduously,  while 
there  is  still  time,  to  collect  such  data  as  may  be  obtainable.     This  seems 
the  more  important  now,  as  within  the  last  ten  years  an  almost  universal 
interest  has  been  awakened  in  ethnologic  research,  and  the  desire  for  more 
knowledge  in  this  regard  is  constantly  increasing.      A  wise  and  liberal 
government,  recognizing  the  need,  has  ably  seconded  the  efforts  of  those 
engaged  in  such  studies  by  liberal  grants  from  the  public  funds  ;  nor  is 
encouragement  wanted  from  the  hundreds  of  scientific  societies  throughout 
the  civilized  globe.    The  public  pre^..,  too— the  mouth-piece  of  the  people- 
is  ever  on  the  alert  to  scatter  broadcast  such  items  of  ethnologic  informa- 
tion as  its  corps  of  well-trained  reporters  can  secure.     To  induce  further 
laudable  inquiry,  and  assist  all  those  who  may  be  willing  to  engage  in  the 
good  work,  is  the  object  of  this  preliminary  work  on  the  moi-tuary  cus- 
toms of  North  American  Indians,  and  it  is  hoped  that  many  more  laborers 
may  through  it  be  added  to  the  extensive  and  honorable  list  of  tlK»se  who 
have  already  contributed. 

It  would  appear  that  the  subject  chosen  should  awaken  great  interest, 
since  the  pecuHar  methods  followed  by  different  nations  and  the  great 

lY 


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i    R;; 


2  cmruLAB  of  queries. 

iniportanco  attaclied  to  burial  ceremonies  liave  formed  an  almost  invariable 
part  of  all  works  relating  to  the  different  peoples  of  our  globe ;  in  fact  no 
particular  portion  of  ethnologic  research  has  claimed  more  attention.  In 
view  of  these  facts,  it  might  seem  almost  a  work  of  supererogation  to  con- 
tiniie  a  further  examination  of  the  subject,  for  nearly  every  author  in  writ- 
ing of  our  Indian  tribes  makes  some  mention  of  burial  observances ;  but 
these  notices  are  scattered  far  and  wide  on  the  sea  of  this  special  literature, 
and  many  of  the  accounts,  unless  supported  by  corroborative  evidence,  may 
be  considered  as  entirely  unreliable.  To  bring  together  and  harmonize 
conflicting  statements,  and  arrange  collectively  what  is  known  of  the  sub- 
ject has  been  the  writer's  task,  and  an  enormous  mass  of  information  has 
been  ac(piired,  the  method  of  securing  which  has  been  as  follows  : 

In  the  first  instance  a  circular  was  prepared,  which  is  hero  given  ; 
this  at  the  time  was  thought  to  embrace  all  items  relating  to  the  disposal 
of  the  dead  and  attendant  ceremonies,  although  since  its  distribution  other 
impoitant  questions  have  arisen  which  will  be  alluded  to  subsequently. 

"  Washington,  D.  C,  June  15,  1877. 
"  To , 


"  Sir  :  Being  engaged  in  preparing  a  memoir  upon  the  '  Bunal  Cus- 
toms of  the  Indians  of  North  America,  both  ancient  and  modern,  and  the 
disposal  of  their  dead,'  I  beg  leave  to  request  your  kind  co-operation  to 
enable  me  to  present  as  exhaustive  an  exposition  of  the  subject  as  possible, 
and  to  this  end  earnestly  invite  your  attention  to  the  following  points  in 
regard  to  which  information  is  desired : 

"  Ist.  Name  of  the  tribe. 

"2d.  Lo.ility. 

"3d.  Manner  of  burial,  ancient  and  modem. 

"  4th.  Funeral  ceremonies. 

"5th.  Mourning  observances,  if  any. 

"With  reference  to  the  first  of  these  inquiries,  '  Name  of  the  tribe,'  the 
Indian  name  is  desired  as  well  as  the  name  by  which  the  tribe  is  known  to 
the  whites. 


OIBCULAK  OF  QUERIES. 


8 


"As  to  *  Locality,'  the  response  should  give  the  range  of  the  tribe,  and 
1)0  full  and  geographically  accurate. 

"As  to  the  '  Manner  of  burial,'  &o.,  it  ij  important  to  have  every  par- 
ticular bearing  on  this  branch  of  the  subject,  and  much  ininuteness  is 
desirable. 

"  For  instance : 

"(rt)  Was  the  body  buried  in  the  ground;  if  so,  in  what  position,  and 
how  was  the  grave  prepared  and  finished! 

"(6)  If  cremated,  describe  the  process,  and  what  disposal  was  made  of 
the  ashes. 

"(c)  Were  any  utensils,  implements,  ornaments,  &c.,  or  food  placed 
in  the  grave?  In  short,  every  fact  is  sought  that  may  possibly  add  to  a. 
general  knowledge  of  the  subject. 

"Answers  to  the  fourth  and  fifth  queries  should  give  Ht  full  and  suc- 
cinct a  description  as  possible  of  funereal  and  other  mortuary  'ceremonies  at 
the  time  of  death  and  subsequently,  the  period  of  mourning,  manner  of  its 
observance,  &c. 

"  In  obtaining  materials  for  the  purpose  in  question  it  is  particidarly 
desirable  that  well-authenticated  sources  of  information  only  be  drawn  upon, 
and,  therefore,  any  points  gathered  from  current  rumor  or  mere  hearsay, 
and  upon  which  there  is  doubt,  should  be  submitted  to  searching  scrutiny 
before  being  embraced  in  answers  to  the  several  interrogatories,  and  noth- 
ing should  be  recorded  as  a  fact  until  fully  established  as  such. 

"  In  seeking  information  from  Indians,  it  is  well  to  remember  the  great 
tendency  to  exaggeration  they  show,  and  since  absolute  facts  will  alone 
serve  our  purpose,  great  caution  is  suggested  in  this  particular. 

"  It  is  earnestly  desired  to  make  the  work  in  ([uestion  as  complete  as 
possible,  and  therefore  it  is  especially  hoped  that  your  response  will  cover 
the  ground  as  pointed  out  by  the  several  questions  as  thoroughly  as  you 
may  be  able  and  willing  to  make  it. 

"  In  addition  to  notes,  a  reference  to  published  papers  either  by  your- 
self or  others  is  desirable,  as  well  as  the  names  of  those  persons  who  may  be 
able  to  furnish  the  needed  information. 

"  Permit  me  to  assure  you  that,  while  it  is  not  offered  in  the  way  of 


INTRODUCTORY, 


iil 


!  f 


il 


«l 


1' 


inducement  to  secure  the  service  asked,  since  it  is  barely  possible  that  you 
can  be  otherwise  tlian  deeply  interested  in  the  extension  of  the  bounds  of 
knowledge,  full  credit  will  be  given  you  in  the  work  for  whatever  informa- 
tion you  may  be  pleased  to  furnish. 

"  This  material  will  be  published  under  the  auspices  of  Prof  J.  W. 
Powell,  in  charge  of  the  U.  S.  Geographical  and  Geological  Survey  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Region. 

'•Conmuniications  may  be  addressed  to  me  either  at  the  address  given 

above  or  at  the  Army  Medical  Museum,  W^vshington,  D.  C. 

"  Resi)ectfully,  yours, 

"  II.  C.  YARROW." 

This  was  forwarded  to  every  Indian  agent,  physicians  at  agencies, 
to  a  great  number  of  Army  officers  who  had  served  or  were  serving  at 
frontier  i)osts,  and  to  individuals  known  to  be  interested  in  ethnologic 
matters.  A  larg(^  number  of  interesting  and  valuable  responses  were  re- 
ceived, many  of  them  showing  how  customs  have  changed  either  under 
influences  of  civilization  or  altered  circumstances  of  environment. 

Following  this,  a  comprehensive  list  of  books  relating  to  North  Amei'i- 
ca!i  Indians  ^^•as  pro(uired,  and  each  volume  subjected  to  careful  scrutiny, 
extracts  being  made  from  those  tliat  appeared  in  the  writer's  judgment  relia- 
ble. Out  of  a  large  number  examined  up  to  the  present  time,  several  hun- 
dred have  been  laid  under  contribution,  and  the  labor  of  further  collation 
still  continues. 

It  is  proper  to  add  that  all  the  material  obtained  will  eventually  be 
embodied  in  a  cpiarto  volume,  forming  one  of  the  series  of  contributions  to 
North  American  Ethnology  prepared  under  the  direction  of  Maj.  J.  W. 
Powell,  Director  of  the  Hureau  of  Ethnology,  Smithsonian  Institution, 
from  wliom,  since  the  inception  of  the  work,  most  constant  encouragement 
and  advice  has  been  received,  and  to  whom  all  American  ethnologists  owe  a 
debt  of  gratitude  which  can  never  be  repaid. 

Having  thus  called  attention  to  the  work  and  the  methods  pursued  in 
collecting  data,  the  classification  of  the  subject  may  be  given  and  examples 
furnished  of  the  burial  ceremonies  among  different  tribes,  calling  especial 


m 


I NIIUMATION-  MOHAWKS. 


5 


-■%> 


iitt«Mition  to  aitnilar  or  almost  analogous  customs  among  the  peoples  of  the 
( )ld  World. 

For  our  present  purpose  the  following  provisional  arrangement  of 
burials  may  be  a(loi)ted  : 

1st.  By  INHUMATION  iu  pits,  graves,  holes  in  the  ground,  mounds,  cists, 
and  caves. 

2d.  By  CREMATION,  generally  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  occasion- 
ally beneath,  the  resulting  bones  or  ashes  being  placed  in  pits,  in  the  ground, 
in  boxes  placed  on  scaffolds  or  trees,  in  urns,  sometimes  scattered. 

3d.  B}'  EMBALMENT  or  a  process  of  mummifying,  the  remains  being 
afterwards  placed  in  the  earth,  caves,  mounds,  or  charnel-houses. 

4.th.  By  AERIAL  SEPULTURE,  the  bodies  being  deposited  on  scaffolds  or 
trees,  in  boxes  or  canoes,  the  two  latter  receptacles  supported  on  scaffolds  or 
posts,  or  on  the  ground.  Occasionally  baskets  have  been  used  to  contain 
the  remains  of  children,  these  being  hung  to  trees. 

5th.  By  AQUATIC  BURIAL,  beneath  the  water,  or  in  canoes,  which  were 
turned  adrift. 

These  heads  might,  perhaps,  be  further  subuivided,  but  the  above  seem 
sufficient  for  all  practical  needs. 

The  use  of  the  term  burial  throughout  this  paper  is  to  be  understood 
in  its  literal  significance,  the  word  being  derived  from  the  Anglo-Saxon 
"  birgan"  to  conceal  or  hide  away. 

In  giving  descriptions  of  different  burials  and  attendant  ceremonies,  it 
has  been  deemed  expedient  to  introduce  entire  accounts  as  furnished,  in 
order  to  preserve  continuity  of  narrative. 

INHUMATION. 

The  commonest  mode  of  burial  among  North  American  Indians  has 
been  that  of  interment  in  the  ground,  and  this  has  taken  place  in  a  number 
of  different  ways;  the  following  will,  however,  serve  as  good  examples  of 
the  process: 

"The  Mohawks  of  New  York  made  a  large  round  hole  in  which  the 
body  was  placed  upright  or  upon  its  haunches,  after  which  it  was  covered 
with  timber,  to  support  the  earth  which  they  lay  over,  and  thereby  kept 


6 


INUUMATION— CAROLINA  TllIBES. 


I  Hi 


the  body  from  being  pressed.  They  then  raised  the  earth  in  a  round  hill 
over  it.  They  always  dressed  the  corpse  in  all  its  finery,  and  put  wampum 
and  other  things  into  the  grave  with  it;  and  the  relations  suffered  not  grass 
nor  any  weed  to  grow  upon  the  grave,  and  frequently  visited  it  and  made 
lamentation." 

This  account  may  be  found  in  Schoolcraft* 

In  Jonesf  is  the  following  interesting  account  from  Lawson,  of  the 
burial  customs  of  the  Indians  formerly  inhabiting  the  Carolinas: 

"Among  the  Carolina  tribes,  the  burial  of  the  dead  was  accompanied 
with  special  ceremctnies,  the  expense  and  formality  attendant  upon  tho 
funeral  according  with  the  rank  of  the  deceased.  Tho  corpse  was  first 
placed  in  a  cane  hurdle  and  dejiosited  in  an  outhouse  made  for  the  purpose, 
where  it  was  suffered  to  remain  for  a  day  and  a  night  guarded  arul  mourned 
o\er  l)y  the  nearest  relatives  with  disheveled  hair.  Those  who  are  to  offi- 
ciate at  the  funeral  go  into  the  town,  and  from  the  backs  of  the  first  young 
men  the}'  meet  strip  such  blankets  and  matchcoats  as  they  deem  suitable 
for  their  [)nrpose.  In  these  the  dead  body  is  wrapped  and  then  covered 
with  two  or  three  mats  made  of  rushes  or  cane.  The  coffin  is  made  of 
woven  reeds  or  hollow  canes  tied  fast  at  both  ends.  When  everything  is 
prepared  for  the  interment,  the  corpse  is  carried  from  the  house  in  which 
it  has  been  lying  into  the  orchard  of  peach-trees  and  is  there  deposited  in 
another  hurdle.  Seated  upon  mats  are  there  congregated  the  family  and 
tribe  of  the  deceased  and  invited  guests.  The  medicine  man,  or  conjurer, 
having  enjoined  silence,  then  pronounces  a  funeral  oration,  dui'ing  which 
he  recounts  the  ex})loits  of  the  deceased,  his  valor,  skill,  love  of  country, 
property,  and  influence;  alludes  to  the  void  caused  by  his  death,  and 
counsels  those  who  ren)ain  to  supply  his  place  by  following  in  his  foot- 
stejjs;  pictures  the  happiness  he  will  enjoy  in  the  land  of  spirits  to  which 
he  has  gone,  and  concludes  his  address  by  an  allusion  to  the  prominent 
traditions  of  his  tribe." 

Let  us  here  pause  to  remind  the  reader  that  this  custom  has  prevailed 
throughout  the  civilized  world  up  to  the  present  day — a  custom,  in  the 
opinion  of  many,  "more  honored  in  the  breach  than  the  observance." 


•  Hisl.  IiKthiii  TiilH's  iiniii'  United  SdilrM,  Ir.'iU,  imil  'i,  p.  193. 
t  Aiitiix.  of  HutitLi-ni  IikUuiih,  1>*T6,  pp.  KIS-llU. 


*S5 


mUUMATlON— WICUITAS. 


'  tlio 


"At  last  [says  Mr.  Lawson],  the  corpse  is  brought  away  from  that 
luirdlo  to  the  grave  by  four  young  men,  attended  by  the  rohitlons,  the  king, 
old  men,  and  all  the  nation.  When  they  come  to  the  sepulchre,  which  is 
about  six  feet  deep  and  eight  feet  long,  having  at  each  end  (that  is,  at  the 
head  and  foot)  a  light-wood  or  pitch-pine  fork  driven  close  down  the  sides 
of  the  grave  firndy  into  tlie  ground  (these  two  forks  are  to  contain  a  ridge- 
pole, as  you  shall  understand  presently),  before  they  lay  the  corpse  into 
the  grave,  they  cover  the  bottom  two  or  three  time  over  with  the  bark  of 
trees;  then  they  let  down  the  corpse  (with  two  belts  that  the  Indians  carry 
their  burdens  withal)  very  leisurely  upon  the  said  barks;  then  they  lay 
over  a  pole  of  the  same  wood  in  the  two  forks,  and  having  a  great  many 
pieces  of  pitch-pine  logs  about  two  foot  and  a  half  long,  they  stick  them  in 
the  sides  of  the  grave  down  each  end  and  near  the  top,  through  of  where  (sic) 
the  other  ends  lie  in  the  ridge-pole,  so  that  they  are  declining  like  the  roof 
of  a  house.  These  being  very  thick  placed,  they  cover  them  many  times 
double  with  bark;  then  they  throw  the  esirth  thereon  that  came  out  of  the 
grave  and  beat  it  down  very  firm.  By  this  means  the  dead  body  lies  in  a 
vault,  nothing  touching  him.  After  a  time  the  body  is  taken  up,  the  bones 
cleaned,  and  deposited  in  an  ossuary  called  the  Quiogozon  " 

Dr.  Fordyce  Grinnell,  physician  to  the  Wichita  Agency,  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, furnishes  the  following  description  of  the  burial  ceremonies  of 
the  Wichita  Indians,  who  call  themselves  '■'■  Kitty-ha-tats''^  or  those  of  the 
tattooed  eyelids: 

''When  a  Wichita  dies  the  town-crior  goes  up  and  down  through  the 
village  and  announces  the  fact  Preparations  are  immediately  made  for 
the  burial,  and  the  body  is  taken  without  delay  to  the  grave  prepared  for 
it  reception.  If  the  grave  is  some  distance  from  the  village  the  body  is 
carried  thither  on  the  back  of  a  pony,  being  first  wrapped  in  blankets  and 
then  laid  prone  across  the  saddle,  one  walking  on  either  side  to  support  it. 
The  grave  is  dug  from  3  to  4  feet  deep  and  of  sufficient  length  for  the 
extended  body.  First  blankets  and  buffalo  robes  are  laid  in  the  bottom  of 
the  grave,  then  the  body,  being  taken  from  the  horse  and  unwrapped,  is 
dressed  in  its  best  apparel  and  with  ornaments  is  placed  upon  a  couch  of 
blaidiets  and  robes,  with  the  head  towards  the  west  and  the  feet  to  the  east; 


Ml 


8 


INHUMATION— CADOOES. 


tlio  valuiibloH  belonging  to  tho  deceased  are  placed  with  the  body  in  the 
grave.  With  the  man  are  deposited  his  bows  and  arrows  or  gun,  and  with 
the  woman  her  cooking  utensils  and  other  iuiplements  of  her  toil  Over 
the  body  sticks  are  placed  six  or  eight  inches  deep  and  grass  over  these,  so 
that  when  tho  earth  is  filled  in  it  need  not  come  in  contact  with  the  body 
or  its  trappings.  After  the  grave  is  filled  with  earth  a  pen  of  \)o\e»  is  built 
around  it,  or,  as  is  fre(iuently  the  case,  stakes  are  driven  so  that  they  cross 
each  other  from  either  side  about  midway  over  the  grave,  thus  forming  a 
complete  protection  from  the  invasion  of  wild  animals.  After  all  this  is 
done,  the  grass  or  other  del  -is  is  care  full}'  scraped  from  about  the  grave 
for  several  feet,  so  that  the  ground  is  left  smooth  and  clean.  It  is  seldom 
the  case  that  the  relatives  accompany  the  remains  to  the  grave,  but  they 
more  often  employ  others  to  bury  the  body  for  them,  usually  women. 
Mourning  is  similar  in  this  tribe  as  in  others,  and  consists  hi  cutting  off  the 
hair,  fasting,  &c.     Horses  are  also  killed  at  the  grave." 

The  Caddoes,  Ascena,  or  Timber  Indians,  as  they  call  themselves, 
follow  nearly  the  same  mode  of  burial  as  the  Wichitas,  but  one  custom  pre- 
vailing is  worthy  of  mention. 

"  If  a  Caddo  is  killed  in  battle,  the  body  is  never  buried,  but  is  left  to 
be  devoured  by  l)easts  or  birds  of  prey,  and  the  condition  of  such  individ- 
uals in  the  other  world  is  considered  to  be  far  better  than  that  of  persons 
dying  a  natural  death." 

In  a  work  by  liruhier*  the  following  remarks,  freely  translated  by 
the  writer,  may  be  found,  which  note  a  custom  having  great  similarity  to 
the  exposure  of  bodies  to  wild  Ixtasts  mentioned  above  : 

"  The  ancient  Persians  threw  out  the  bodies  of  their  dead  on  the  roads, 
and  if  they  were  promptl}-  devoured  by  wild  beasts  it  was  esteemed  a  great 
honor,  a  misfortune  if  not.  Sometimes  they  interred,  always  wrapping  the 
dead  in  a  wax  cloth  to  prevent  odor." 

M.  Pierre  Muret,t  from  whose  book  Bruhier  probably  obtained  his 
information,  gives  at  considerable  length  an  account  of  this  peciiliar  method 
of  treating  the  dead  among  the  Persians,  as  follows : 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  astonishment,  considering  the  Persians  have  ever  had 

*  L'im<rti(mU'  ilrn  Sigins  ilf  lii  Mort,  I'W,  fmn  l,p.43<J. 
t  Rites  of  Funprnl,  Ancient  and  Mnilern,  1683,  p.  45. 


MORTUAKY  CUSTOMS  OF  TUE  PERSIANS. 


9 


body 
built 
cross 


the  renown  of  being  one  of  the  most  civilized  Nations  in  the  world,  that 
notwithstanding  they  should  have  used  such  barbarous  customs  about  the 
Dead  as  are  set  down  in  the  Writings  of  some  Historians ;  and  the  rather 
because  at  this  day  there  are  still  to  be  seen  among  them  those  remains 
of  Antiquity,  which  do  fully  satisfie  us,  that  their  Tondjs  have  been  very 
magnificent.  And  yet  nevertheless,  if  we  will  give  credit  to  Procopius  and 
Agathias,  the  Persians  were  never  wont  to  bury  their  Dead  Bodies,  so  far 
were  they  from  bestowing  any  Funeral  Honours  upon  them:  But,  as  these 
Authors  tell  us,  they  exposed  them  stark  naked  in  the  open  fields,  whicii  is 
the  greatest  shame  our  Laws  do  allot  to  the  most  infamous  Criminals,  by 
laying  them  open  to  the  view  of  all  upon  the  highways:  Yea,  in  their 
opinion  it  was  a  great  unhappii.ess,  if  either  Birds  or  Beasts  did  not  devour 
their  Carcases ;  and  they  conmionly  made  an  estimate  of  the  Felicity  of 
these  poor  Bodies,  according  as  they  were  sooner  or  later  made  a  prey  of. 
Concerning  these,  tliey  resolved  that  they  must  needs  have  been  very  bad 
indeed,  since  even  the  beasts  themselves  would  not  touch  them;  which 
caused  an  extream  sorrow  to  their  Relations,  they  taking  it  for  an  ill  bod- 
ing to  their  Family,  and  an  infallible  presage  of  some  great  misfortune 
hanging  over  their  heads ;  for  they  persuaded  themselves,  that  the  Souls 
which  inhabited  those  Bodies  being  dragg'd  into  Hell,  would  not  fiiil  to 
come  and  trouble  them;  and  that  being  always  accompanied  with  the 
Devils,  their  Tormentors,  they  would  certainly  give  them  a  great  deal  of 
disturbance. 

"And  on  the  cmtrary,  when  these  Corpses  were  presently  devoured, 
their  joy  was  very  great,  they  enlarged  themselves  in  praises  of  the  De- 
ceased ;  every  one  esteeming  them  undoubtedly  happy,  and  came  to  con- 
gratulate their  relations  on  that  account :  For  as  they  believed  assuredly , 
that  they  were  entered  into  the  Elysian  Fields,  so  they  were  persuaded, 
that  they  would  procu.e  the  same  bliss  for  all  those  of  their  family. 

"  They  also  took  a  great  delight  to  see  Skeletons  and  Bones  scatered 
up  and  down  in  the  fields,  whereas  we  can  scarcely  endure  to  see  those  of 
Horses  and  Dogs  used  so.  And  these  remains  of  Humane  Bodies,  (the 
sight  whereof  gives  us  so  much  horror,  that  we  presently  bury  them  out  of 
our  sight,  Avhenever  we  find  them  elsewhere  than  in  Charnel-houses  or 


m4 


III 


10 


INHUMATION— KLAMAT118. 


Cliurclt-yurds)  were  tlic  occasion  of  tlioir  {jTcutest  joy  ;  bociiuso  tliny  con- 
ilndcd  fronj  tlieiico  the  Imijpiness  of  those  thut  had  boon  devoured,  wishhijj 
after  their  Deatli  to  uieet  with  the  like  good  hick." 

The  same  author  states,  and  Ihuhier  corn^borates  the  assertion,  that 
the  Parthians,  ^ledes,  Iberians,  Caspians,  and  a  few  others,  had  such  a  hor- 
ror and  aversion  of  the  corruption  and  decomposition  of  tiio  dead,  and  of 
their  being  eaten  by  worms,  tliat  they  threw  out  the  bodies  into  the  oi)en 
fields  to  bo  devoured  by  wild  beasts,  a  part  of  their  belief  being  that  i)er- 
sons  so  devoured  would  not  bo  entirely  extinct,  but  enjoy  at  least  a  par- 
tial sort  of  life  in  their  living  sepulchres.  It  is  quite  probable  that  for  these 
and  other  reasons  the  Bactriaiis  and  Ilircanians  trained  dogs  for  this  special 
purpose,  called  Canes  scpukhmles,  which  received  the  greatest  care  and  at- 
tention, for  it  was  deemed  j)roper  that  the  souls  of  the  deceased  should 
have  strong  and  lusty  frames  to  dwell  in. 

George  Gibbs*  gives  the  following  account  of  burial  among  the  Kla- 
math and  Trinity  Indians  of  the  Northwest  coast: 

"  The  graves,  which  are  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  their  houses, 
exhibit  very  considerable  taste  aTul  a  laudable  care.  The  dead  are  inclosed 
in  rude  cofBns  formed  by  placing  four  boards  around  the  body,  and  covered 
with  earth  to  some  depth ;  a  heavy  plank,  often  supported  by  upright  head 
and  foot  stones,  is  laid  upon  the  toj),  or  stones  are  built  up  into  a  wall 
about  a  foot  above  the  ground,  and  the  top  flagged  with  others  The 
graves  of  the  chiefs  are  surrounded  by  neat  wooden  palings,  each  pale 
ornamented  with  a  feather  from  the  tail  of  the  bald  eagle.  Baskets  are 
usually  staked  down  by  the  side,  according  to  the  wealth  or  popidarity  of 
the  individual,  and  sometimes  other  articles  for  ornament  or  use  are  sus- 
pended over  them.  The  funeral  ceremonies  occupy  three  days,  during 
which  the  soul  of  the  deceased  is  in  danger  from  0-mah-u  or  the  devil.  To 
preserve  it  from  this  peril,  a  fire  is  kept  up  at  the  grave,  and  the  friends  of 
the  deceased  howl  around  it  to  scare  away  the  demon.  Should  they  not 
be  successful  in  this  the  soul  is  carried  down  the  river,  subject,  however,  to 
redemption  by  Prh-ho-wan  on  payment  of  a  big  knife.  After  the  expiration 
of  three  days  it  is  all  well  with  them." 

» StlioolcrulVs  iliHt.  Iiuliau  Tribes  of  Uic  Uuitod  Stuti-s,  Vt.  :t,  185:1, p.  140. 


i 


INHUMATION— IMMAH  AND  AI»A('IIKS. 


n 


Tlio  question  may  well  ho  asked,  is  tlio  big  knifo  a  "sop  to  Cor- 
horiis"? 

Capt.  V.  K.  GroHsinaii,*  U.  S.  A.,  furnishes  the  following  account  of 
burial  among  tlu^  I'injas  of  Arizona  : 

"  The  Pimas  tie  the  bodies  of  their  dead  with  ropes,  passing  the  latter 
around  the  neck  and  under  the  knees  and  then  drawing  them  tight  until 
the  body  is  doubled  up  and  forced  into  a  sitting  position.  They  dig  the 
grave  from  four  to  five  feet  deep  and  perfectly  round  (about  two  feet  in 
diaujoter),  then  hollow  out  to  one  side  of  the  bottom  of  this  grave  a  sort  of 
vault  large  enough  to  contain  the  body.  Here  the  body  is  deposited,  the 
grave  is  filled  xip  level  with  the  ground,  and  poles,  trees,  or  pieces  of  timber 
placed  upon  the  grave  to  protect  the  remains  from  the  coyotes  (a  species  of 
wolf).  Burials  usually  take  place  at  night,  without  nuich  ceremon}-.  The 
mourners  chant  during  the  burial,  but  signs  of  grief  are  rare.  The  bodies 
of  their  dead  are  buried,  if  possible,  innnediately  after  death  has  taken  place, 
and  the  graves  are  generally  prepared  before  the  patients  die.  Sometimes 
sick  persons  (for  whom  the  graves  had  already  been  dug)  recovered ;  in 
such  cases  the  graves  are  left  open  until  the  persons  for  whom  they  were 
intended  die.  Open  graves  of  this  khid  can  bo  seen  in  sevei'al  of  their 
burial-grounds.  Places  of  burial  are  selected  some  distance  from  the  vil- 
lage, and,  if  possible,  in  a  grove  of  mosquito  bushes  Immediately  after  tho 
remains  have  been  buried,  the  house  and  personal  effects  of  the  deceased 
are  bin-ned,  and  his  horses  and  cattle  killed,  the  meat  being  cooked  as  a 
repast  for  the  mourners.  Tho  nearest  relatives  of  tho  deceased,  as  a  sign 
of  their  sorrow,  remain  in  tho  village  for  weeks  and  sometimes  months  ;  tho 
men  cut  off  about  six  inches  of  their  long  hair,  while  the  women  cut  their 
hair  quite  short." 

The  Coyotero  Ai)ac]ies,  according  to  Dr.  W.  J.  Hoffman,t  in  disposing 
of  their  dead,  seem  to  be  actuated  by  the  desire  to  spare  themselves  any 
needless  trouble,  and  prepare  tho  defunct  and  the  grave  in  this  manner: 

"  The  Coyoteros,  upon  tho  death  of  a  member  of  the  tribe,  partially 
wrap  up  the  corpse  and  deposit  it  into  tho  cavity  left  by  the  removal  of  a 

"Ri'lt.  Smitlisoii.  Iimt.,  1871,  p.  411. 

♦  U.  S.  Geol.  Siirv.  of  Turr.  for  187ti,  p.  473. 


12 


m  1 1 UMATK  >N— MASHAHAtU  AS. 


»mull  lock  or  the  wtmnp  of  a  tree.  AftiT  tho  btxly  luw  bcoii  cmimiit'd  Into 
tho  snmllost  posHiblc  spaco  the  rock  or  «tiimp  in  iif^aiti  rolled  into  its  former 
])(»sitioii,  when  a  number  of  stones  are  placed  anmnd  the  base  to  keep  out 
the  coyotes.  The  nearest  of  kin  usually  mourn  f«)r  tlu'  period  «)f  one  month, 
duriu"-  that  tinu'  liivinj;  utterance  at  intervals  to  the  most  dismal  lumenta- 
tions,  which  are  ajtparently  sincere.  Duriii;^:  the  day  this  oblij^ation  is  fro- 
(piently  ne<?lected  or  forj^otteii,  but  when  the  mourner  is  reminded  i»f  his 
duty  he  renews  his  howlin;.,^  with  evident  interest.  This  custom  of  mourn- 
\w^  for  the  i)eriod  of  thirty  days  corres[)unds  to  that  formerly  observed  by 
the  Natchez." 

Somewhat  similar  to  this  rude  mode  of  sepulture  is  that  described  in 
the  life  of  Moses  Van  Campen,  which  relates  to  the  Indians  formerly  inhab- 
iting Pennsylvania : 

"  Directly  after  the  Indians  proceeded  to  bury  those  who  had  fallen  in 
battle,  which  they  did  by  rolling  an  old  log  i\\nn  its  jdaco  and  laying  tho 
body  in  tho  hollow  thus  made,  and  then  heaping  upon  it  a  little  earth." 

As  a  somewhat  curious,  if  not  e\cei)tional,  interment,  the  following  ac- 
count, relating  to  the  Indians  of  New  York  is  furnished,  by  Mr.  Franklin  B. 
Hough,  who  has  extracted  it  from  an  luipublished  journal  of  the  agents  of 
a  French  comi)any  kept  in  171)4: 

"  Saw  Indian  graves  on  the  plateau  of  Independence  Rock.  The  In- 
dians plant  a  stake  on  the  right  side  of  the  head  of  the  deceased  and  bury 
them  in  a  bark  canoe.  Their  children  come  every  year  to  bring  provisions 
to  the  place  where  their  fathers  are  buried.  One  of  the  graves  had  fallen  in 
and  we  observed  in  the  soil  some  sticks  for  stretching  skins,  tho  remains  of 
a  canoe,  &c.,  and  the  two  straps  for  carrying  ii,  and  near  the  place  whore 
the  head  lay  were  the  traces  of  a  fire  which  they  had  kindled  for  the  soul 
of  the  deceased  to  come  and  warm  itself  by  and  to  partake  of  the  food 
deposited  near  it. 

"  These  were  probably  the  Massasauga  Indians,  then  inhabiting  the 
north  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  but  who  were  rather  intruders  here,  the  coun- 
try being  claimed  by  the  Oneidas." 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  use  of  canoes  for  coffins  has  occasion- 
ally been  remarked,  for  the  writer  in  1875  removed  from  the  graves  at  Santa 


'M. 


.4VV 


INIH  MATION   IN  «  ANOKS 


18 


•H'J  into 
■'t  <"onnor 
'<'<'|)  out 
'inontli, 
aint'iitu- 
M  is  li-o- 

1  of   Ills 

luoiini- 
rvt'd  by 

ibod  in 
iiiliub- 

tllou  ill 
ug-  tlio 

ug  ac- 
ilin  B. 
iiita  of 

'le  Iii- 

bmy 
isioiis 
on  in 
ns  of 
■'hero 

«oul 
food 

the 
)un- 

ion- 
nta 


Itarltiini  an  enfirn  skeleton  which  was  discovered  in  a  redwood  canoe,  but 
it  is  thou^lit  that  the  individual  may  hav(>  been  a  noted  fisherman,  ])articu- 
lariy  as  the  im|dements  of  his  vocation — nets,  fish-spears,  &c. — went  near 
him,  and  this  burial  was  oidy  an  exemphfu'ation  of  the  well-rooted  belief 
connnon  to  all  Indians,  that  the  spirit  in  the  next  world  nuikes  use  of  the 
Ham(!  articles  as  were  employed  in  this  one.  It  shoidd  be  added  that  <»f  the 
many  huiulreds  of  skeletons  uncovered  at  Santa  Barbara  the  one  mentioned 
present(;(l  the  only  example  of  the  kind, 

Amouff  the  Indians  of  the  iMoscpiito  coast,  in  Central  America,  cnnoo 
burial  in  the  jjround,  according  to  Bancroft*,  was  counnon,  and  la  thua 
described : 

"  The  corpse  is  wra[)ped  in  cloth  and  placed  in  one-half  of  a  pitpan 
which  has  been  cut  in  two.  Friends  assemble  for  the  funeral  and  drown 
their  <;rlef  in  luuslila,  the  women  kIvIuj^  vent  to  their  sorrow  by  dashing' 
themselves  on  the  ground  until  covered  with  blood,  and  Inflicting  other  Tt»r- 
tures,  occasionally  even  committing  suicide.  As  it  is  sui)i)Osed  that  the  evil 
spirit  seeks  to  obtain  possession  <if  the  body,  musicians  are  called  in  to  lull 
it  to  sleep  while  preparations  are  made  for  its  removal.  All  at  once  four 
naked  men,  who  have  disguised  themselves  with  paint  so  as  not  to  be  recog- 
nized aiul  punished  by  Wulaslia,  rush  out  from  a  neighboring  hut,  and,  .seiz- 
ing a  rope  attached  to  the  canoe,  drag  it  into  the  woods,  followed  by  the 
music  and  the  crowd.  Here  the  i)it})an  is  lowered  into  the  grave  with  bow, 
aiTOW,  spear,  paddle,  and  other  implements  to  serve  the  departed  in  the  land 
beyond  ;  thtn  the  other  half  of  the  boat  is  placed  over  the  body.  A  rude 
hut  is  constructed  over  the  grave,  serving  as  a  receptacle  for  the  choice 
food,  drink,  and  other  articles  placed  there  from  time  to  time  by  relatives." 

liURIAL  IN  CABINS,  WIGWAMS,  OK  HOUSES. 

While  there  is  a  certain  degree  of  similitude  between  the  above-noted 
methods  and  the  one  to  bo  mentioned  subsequently — lodge  burial — they 
ditfer,  inasmuch  as  the  latter  are  examples  of  surface  or  aei'lal  burial,  and 
must  consequently  fall  under  another  caption.  The  narratives  which  are 
now  to  bo  given  afford  a  clear  idea  of  the  former  kind  of  burial. 

*  Native  Rucos  of  Pacitic  States,  1874,  vol.  1,  (i.  744. 


1^ 


14 


INin  iMATlON— MAVA.IOS. 


Biutram*   relates  the   following  regarding  the   Muscogulgea  of   the 

Carolinas : 

"The  Mnscogulges  bury  their  deceased  in  the  earth;  they  dig  a  four- 
foot,  square,  deep  pit  under  the  cabin,  or  couch  which  the  deceased  laid  on 
in  his  house,  lining  the  grave  with  c)press  bark,  when  they  place  the  corpse 
in  a  sitting  posture,  as  if  it  were  alive,  depositing  with  him  liis  gun,  toma- 
hawk, pipe,  and  such  other  matters  as  he  had  the  greatest  value  for  in  his 
lifetime.  His  eldest  wife,  or  the  queen  dowager,  has  the  second  choice  of 
his  possessions,  and  the  remaining  effects  are  divided  among  his  other  wives 
and  children." 

According  to  Bernard  Roman,  the  "funeral  customs  of  the  Chickasaws 
did  not  differ  materially  from  those  of  the  Muscogulges.  They  interred  the 
dead  as  soon  as  the  breath  left  the  body,  and  beneath  the  couch  in  which 
the  deceased  expired." 

The  Navajos  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  a  tribe  living  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  Chickasaws,  follow  somewhat  similar  customs,  as  related 
by  Dr.  John  Menard,  formerly  a  physician  to  their  agency: 

"The  Navajo  custom  is  to  leave  the  body  where  it  dies,  closing  up  the 
house  or  hogan  or  covering  the  body  with  stones  or  brush.  In  case  the 
body  is  removed,  it  is  taken  to  a  cleft  in  the  rocks  and  thrown  in,  and 
stones  piled  over.  The  person  touching  or  carrying  the  body,  first  takes 
off  all  his  clothes  and  afterwards  washes  his  body  with  water  before  putting 
them  un  or  mingling  with  tlu?  living.  When  a  body  is  removed  from  a 
house  or  hogan,  the  hogan  is  burned  down,  and  the  place  in  every  case 
abandoned,  as  the  belief  is  that  the  devil  comes  to  the  place  of  death  and 
remains  where  a  dead  body  is.  Wild  animals  freciuently  (indeed,  generally) 
get  the  bodies,  and  it  is  a  very  easy  nuitter  to  i)ick  up  skulls  and  bones 
around  old  camping  grounds,  or  where  the  dead  are  laid.  In  case  it  is  not 
desirable  to  abandon  a  place,  the  sick  person  is  left  out  in  some  lone  spot 
j)rotected  by  brush,  where  they  are  either  abandoned  to  their  tate  or  food 
brought  to  them  until  they  die.  This  is  done  only  when  all  hope  is  gone. 
I  have  found  bodies  thus  left  so  well  inclosed  with  brush  that  wild  animals 


*  Bartrani's  Travels,  1791,  pp.  515. 


••  ij 


STONE  GRAVES  OR  CISTS. 


15 


?os  of   the 

dig  ji  foiir- 
sed  laid  on 

tlie  corpse 
fiiii,  tonia- 
i  for  in  his 

clioice  of 
tlier  wives 

hickasaws 

iterrod  the 

in  which 

usiderable 
as  related 

"g  up  the 
case  the 

t^'  in,  and 

Hst  takes 

G  putting 

id  from  a 

ery  case 

eath  and 

Jnerally) 

d  bones 
it  is  not 

one  spot 

<  or  food 

is  gone. 

animals 


were  imable  to  get  at  them;  and  one  so  left  to  die  was  revived  by  a  cup 
of  cotfee  from  our  house  and  is  still  living  and  well." 

Mr.  J.  L.  liurchard,  agent  to  the  Round  Valley  Indians  of  California, 
furnishes  an  account  of  burial  somewhat  resembling  that  of  the  Navajos: 

"When  I  first  came  here  the  Indians  would  dig  a  round  hole  in  the 
ground,  draw  up  the  knees  of  the  deceased  Indian,  and  wrap  the  body  into 
as  small  a  bulk  as  possible  in  blankets,  tie  them  firmly  with  cords,  place 
them  in  the  grave,  throw  in  beads,  baskets,  clothing,  everything  owned  by 
the  deceased,  and  often  donating  much  extra;  all  gathered  around  the  grave 
wailing  most  pitifully,  tearing  their  faces  with  their  nails  till  the  blood 
would  run  down  their  cheeks,  pull  out  their  hair,  and  such  other  heathenish 
conduct.  These  burials  were  generally  made  under  their  thatch  houses  or 
very  near  thereto.  The  house  where  one  died  was  always  torn  down, 
removed,  rebuilt,  or  abandoned.  The  wailing,  tidks,  &c.,  were  in  their 
own  jargon ;  none  else  could  understand,  and  they  seemingly  knew  but 
little  of  its  meaning  (if  there  was  any  meaning  in  it) ;  it  simply  seemed  to 
be  the  promptings  of  grief,  without  sufficient  intelligence  to  direct  any 
ceremony;  each  seemed  to  act  out  his  own  impulse  " 

STONE  GRAVES  OR  CISTS. 

These  are  of  considerable  interest,  not  only  from  their  somewhat  rare 
occurrence,  except  in  certain  localities,  but  from  the  manifest  care  taken  by 
the  survivors  to  provide  for  the  dead  what  they  considered  a  suitable  resting- 
place.  A  number  of  cists  have  been  found  in  Tennessee,  and  are  thus 
descriV)od  by  Moses  Fiske:* 

"There  are  many  burying  grounds  in  West  Tennessee  with  regular 
graves.  They  dug  them  12  or  18  inches  deep,  placed  slabs  at  the  bottom 
ends  and  sides,  forming  a  kind  of  stone  coffin,  and,  after  laying  in  the  body, 
covered  it  over  with  earth." 

It  may  be  added  that,  in  1873,  the  writer  assisted  at  the  opening  of  a 
number  of  graves  of  men  of  the  reindeer  period,  near  Solutre,  in  France, 
and  they  were  almost  identical  in  construction  with  those  described  by  Mr. 
Fiske,  with  the  exception  that  the  latter  were  deeper;  this,  however,  may 


Trans.  Aincr.  Autiq.  Soc  IH-jO,  vol.  I,  p.  302. 


M'i 


16 


STONE    GRAVES  OR  CISTS. 


1)0  iii'connted  for  if  it  is  considered  how  great  ii  deposition  of  earth  may 
have  taken  place  during  the  many  centuries  which  have  elapsed  since  the 
burial.  Many  of  the  graves  explored  by  the  writer  in  ISTf),  at  Santa  Bar- 
bara, resembled  somewhat  cist  graves,  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  pit  being 
lined  with  large  flat  stones,  but  there  were  none  directly  over  the  skeletons. 

The  next  account  is  by  Maj.  J.  W.  Powell,  the  result  of  his  observation 
in  Tennessee: 

"  These  ancient  cemeteries  are  exceedingly  abimdant  throughout  the 
State;  often  hundreds  of  graves  may  be  found  on  a  single  hillside.  In 
some  places  the  graves  are  scattered  and  in  others  collected  in  mounds, 
each  mound  being  composed  of  a  large  number  of  cist  graves.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  the  mounds  were  not  constructed  at  one  time,  but  the  whole  col- 
lection of  graves  therein  was  made  during  long  periods  by  the  addition  of 
a  new  grave  from  time  to  time.  In  the  first  burials  found  at  the  bottom 
and  near  the  center  of  a  mound  a  tendency  to  a  concentric  system,  with 
tho  feet  inward,  is  observed,  and  additions  are  made  around  and  above 
these  first  concentric  graves ;  as  the  mound  increases  in  size  the  burials 
become  more  and  more  irregular. 

"  Some  other  peculiarities  are  of  interest.  A  larger  number  of  inter- 
ments exhibit  the  fact  that  the  bodies  were  placed  there  before  the  decay 
of  tlie  flesh,  while  in  other  cases  collections  of  bones  are  buried.  Some- 
times these  bones  were  placed  in  some  order  about  the  crania,  and  sometimes 
in  irregular  piles,  as  if  the  collection  of  bones  had  been  emptied  from  a  sack. 
With  men,  pipes,  stone  hammers,  knives,  arrowheads,  &c.,  were  usually 
found ;  with  women,  pottery,  rude  beads,  shells,  &c. ;  with  children,  toys 
of  pottery,  beads,  curious  pebbles,  &c. 

"  Sometimes,  in  the  subsequent  burials,  the  side  slab  of  a  previous 
burial  was  used  as  a  portion  of  the  second  cist.  All  of  the  cists  were 
covered  with  slabs.'' 

Dr.  Jones  has  given  an  exceedingly  interesting  account  of  the  stone 
graves  of  Tennessee,  in  his  volume  pvd)lished  by  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion, to  which  valuable  work*  the  reader  is  referred  for  a  more  detailed 
account  of  this  mode  of  burial. 


5r>,  n-i. 


•  Aiitiqiiiti.s  of  Teunessec.     Cont.  to  Knowledge.     Sil  ith.  Inst.,  187«,  No.  250,  4°,  pp.  1,  8,  37,  52, 


MOUND  BURIAL— MISSOURI. 


17 


BURIAL  IN  MOUNDS. 


being- 


In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  subject  of  mound-burial  is  so  extensive, 
and  that  in  all  probability  a  volume  by  a  member  of  the  Bureau  of  Eth- 
nolog^y  may  shortly  be  published,  it  is  not  deemed  advisable  to  devote  any 
considerable  space  to  it  in  this  paper,  but  a  few  interesting  examples  may 
be  noted  to  serve  as  indications  to  future  observers. 

The  first  to  which  attention  is  directed  is  interesting  as  resembling  cist- 
buiial  combined  with  deposition  in  mounds.  The  communication  is  from 
Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam,  curator  of  the  Peabody  Museum  of  Archaeology,  Cam- 
bridge, made  to  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  and  is  published  in 
volume  XX  of  its  proceedings,  October  15,  1878 : 

u  »  «  *  jjg  ^ijgj^  stated  that  it  would  be  of  interest  to  the  mem- 
bers, in  connection  with  the  discovery  of  dolmens  in  Japan,  as  described 
by  Professor  Morse,  to  know  that  within  twenty-four  hours  there  had  been 
received  at  the  Peabody  Museum  a  small  collection  of  articles  taken  from 
rude  dolmens  (or  chambered  barrows,  as  they  would  be  called  in  England), 
recently  opened  by  Mr.  E.  Curtiss,  who  is  now  engaged,  under  his  direc- 
tion, in  exploration  for  the  Peabody  Museum. 

**  These  chambered  mounds  are  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Clay 
County,  Missouri,  and  form  a  large  group  on  both  sides  of  the  Missouri 
River.  The  chambers  are,  in  the  three  opened  by  Mr.  Curtiss,  about  8 
feet  square,  and  from  4^  to  5  feet  high,  each  chamber  having  a  passage- 
way several  feet  in  length  and  2  in  width  leading  from  the  southern  side 
and  opening  on  the  edge  of  the  mound  formed  by  covering  the  cliamber 
and  passage-way  with  earth.  The  walls  of  the  chambered  jjassages  were 
about  2  feet  thick,  vertical,  and  well  made  of  stones,  which  were  evenly 
laid  without  clay  or  mortar  of  any  kind.  The  top  of  one  of  the  chambers 
had  a  covering  of  lai'ge,  flat  rocks,  but  the  others  seem  to  have  been  closed 
over  with  wood.  The  chambers  were  filled  with  clay  which  had  been 
burnt,  and  appeared  as  if  it  had  fallen  in  from  above.  The  inside  walls  of 
the  chambers  also  showed  signs  of  fire.  Under  the  burnt  clay,  in  each 
chamber,  were  found  the  remains  of  several  human  skeletons,  all  of  which 
had  l)een  burnt  to  such  an  extent  as  to  leave  but  small  fragments  of  the 
bones,  which  were  mixed  with  the  ashes  and  charcoal.  Mr.  Curtiss  thought 
2  Y 


18 


MOUND  BURIAL— TENNESSEE. 


that  in  one  chamber  he  found  the  remains  of  5  skeletons  and  in  another  13. 
With  these  skeletons  there  were  a  few  flint  implements  and  minute  frag- 
ments of  vessels  of  clay. 

"A  large  mound  near  the  chambered  mounds  was  also  opened,  but  in 
this  no  chambers  were  found.  Neither  had  the  bodies  been  burnt.  This 
mound  proved  remarkably  rich  in  largo  flint  implements,  and  also  contained 
well-made  pottery  and  a  peculiar  "gorget"  of  red  stone.  The  connection 
of  the  people  who  placed  the  ashes  of  their  dead  in  the  stone  chambers 
with  those  who  buried  their  dead  in  the  earth  mounds  is,  of  course,  yet  to 
be  determined." 

It  is  quite  possible,  indeed  probable,  that  these  chambers  were  used  for 
secondary  burials,  the  bodies  having  first  been  cremated. 

lu  the  volume  of  the  proceedings  already  quoted  the  same  investigator 
gives  an  account  of  other  chambered  mounds  which  are,  like  the  preceding, 
very  interesting,  the  more  so  as  adults  only  were  inhumed  therein,  children 
having  been  buried  beneath  the  dwelling-floors : 

"  Mr.  F.  W.  Putnam  occtipied  the  rest  of  the  evening  with  an  account 
of  his  explorations  of  the  ancient  mounds  and  burial  places  in  the  Cumber- 
land Valley,  Tennessee. 

"The  excavations'had  been  carried  on  by  liimself,  assisted  by  Mi*.  Edwin 
Curtiss,  for  over  two  years,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Peabody  Museum  at  Cam- 
bridge. During  this  time  many  mounds  of  various  kinds  had  been  thor- 
oughly explored,  and  several  thousand  of  the  singular  stone  graves  of  the 
mound  builders  of  Tennessee  had  been  carefully  opened.  *  *  *  Mr.  Put- 
nam's remarks  were  illustrated  by  drawings  of  several  hundred  objects  ob- 
tained from  the  graves  and  mounds,  particularly  to  show  the  great  variety  of 
articles  of  pottery  and  several  large  and  many  unique  forms  of  implements  of 
chipped  flint.  He  also  exhibited  and  explained  in  detail  a  map  of  a  walled 
town  of  this  old  nation.  This  town  was  situated  on  the  Lindsley  estate,  in 
a  bend  of  Spring  Creek.  The  earth  embankment,  with  its  accompanying 
ditch,  encircled  an  area  of  about  12  acres.  Within  this  inclosure  there  was 
one  large  mound  with  a  flat  top,  15  feet  high,  130  feet  long,  and  90  feet 
wide,  which  was  found  not  to  be  a  burial  mound.  Another  mound  near 
the  large  one,  about  50  feet  in  diameter,  and  only  a  few  feet  high,  con- 


MOtTND  BURIAL— TENNESSEE. 


19 


tained  60  human  skeletons,  each  in  a  carefully-made  stone  grave,  the 
graves  being  arranged  in  two  rows,  forming'  the  four  sides  of  a  square,  and 
in  three  layers.  *  *  *  The  most  important  discovery  he  made  within 
the  inclosure  was  that  of  finding  the  remrii.o  of  the  houses  of  the  people 
who  lived  in  this  old  town.  Of  them  about  70  were  traced  out  and  located 
on  the  map  by  Professor  Buchanan,  of  Lebanon,  who  made  the  survey  for 
Mr.  Putnam.  Under  the  floors  of  hard  clay,  which  was  in  places  much 
burnt,  Mr.  Putnam  found  the  graves  of  children.  As  only  the  bodies  of 
adults  had  been  placed  in  the  one  mound  devoted  to  burial,  and  as  nearly 
every  site  of  a  house  he  explored  had  from  one  to  four  graves  of  children 
under  the  clay  floor,  he  was  convinced  that  it  was  a  regular  custom  to 
bury  the  children  in  that  way.  He  also  found  that  the  children  had  been 
undoubtedly  treated  with  aftectiM,  as  in  their  small  graves  were  found 
many  of  the  best  pieces  of  pottery  he  obtained,  and  also  quantities  of  shell- 
beads,  several  large  pearls,  and  many  other  objects  which  were  probably 
the  playthings  of  the  little  ones  while  living.* 

This  cist  mode  of  bui-ial  is  by  no  moans  luicommon  in  Tennessee,  as 
they  are  frequently  mentioned  by  writers  on  North  American  archa-ology. 

The  examples  which  follow  are  specially  characteristic,  some  of  them 
serving  to  add  strength  to  the  theory  that  mounds  were  for  the  most  part 
used  for  secondary  burial,  although  intrusions  were  doubtless  connuon. 

Of  the  burial  mounds  of  Ohio,  Caleb  Atwatei-f  gives  this  description : 

"Near  the  center  of  the  round  fort  *  *  *  was  a  tumulus  of  earth 
about  10  feet  in  height  and  several  rods  in  diameter  at  its  base.  On  its 
eastern  side,  and  extending  six  rods  from  it,  was  a  semicircular  pavement 
composed  of  pebbles  such  as  are  now  found  in  the  bed  of  the  Scioto  River, 
from  whence  they  appear  to  have  been  brought.  The  sunnnit  of  this 
tumulus  was  nearly  30  feet  in  diameter,  and  there  was  a  raised  way  to  it, 
leading  from  the  east,  like  a  modern  turnpike.  The  summit  was  level. 
The  outline  of  the  semicircular  pavement  and  the  walk  is  still  discernible. 
The  earth  composing  this  mound  was  entirely  removed  several  years  since. 

*  A  tletailcd  account  of  this  exploration,  with  ninny  illustratious,  will  be  found  in  the  Eluveuth 
Annual  Report  of  the  reaboily  Museum,  Cambridge,  1878. 
t Trans.  Amer.  Antiq.  See,  1820,  i,  p.  174  et  acq. 


20 


MOUND  BUKIAL— OHIO. 


m. 


,•  Jl 


:!sf^''*^.y 


I  n 


W 


The  writer  was  present  at  its  removal  and  carefully  examined  the  contents. 
It  contained — 

"1st.  Two  human  skeletons  lying  on  what  had  been  the  original  sur- 
face of  the  earth. 

"2d.  A  great  quantity  of  arrow-heads,  some  of  which  were  so  large 
as  to  induce  a  belief  that  they  were  used  as  spear-heads. 

"3d.  Tlie  hiindle  either  of  a  small  sword  or  a  large  knife,  made  of  an 
elk's  horn.  Around  the  end  where  the  blade  had  been  inserted  was  a  ferule 
of  silver,  which,  though  black,  was  not  much  injured  by  time.  Though 
the  handle  showed  the  hole  where  the  blade  had  been  inserted,  yet  no  iron 
was  found,  but  an  oxyde  remained  of  sinnlar  shape  and  size. 

"4th.  Charcoal  and  wood  ashes  on  which  these  articles  lay,  which  were 
surrounded  by  several  bricks  very  well  burnt.  The  skeleton  appeared  to 
have  been  burned  in  a  large  and  very  hot  fire,  which  had  almost  consumed 
the  bones  of  the  deceased.  This  skeleton  was  deposited  a  little  to  the 
south  of  the  center  of  the  tumulus;  and  about  20  feet  to  the  north  of  it 
was  another,  Avith  whicli  were — 

"6th.  A  large  mirrour  about  3  feet  in  breadth  and  I J  inches  in  thick- 
ness.    This  mirrour  was  of  isiughiss  (mica  memhranacea),  and  on  it — 

"  6th.  A  plate  of  iron  which  had  become  an  oxyde,  but  before  it  was 
disturbed  by  the  spade  resembled  a  plate  of  cast  iron.  The  mirrour  answered 
the  purpose  very  well  for  which  it  was  intended.  This  skeleton  had  also 
been  burned  like  the  former,  and  lay  on  charcoal  and  a  considerable 
quantity  of  wood  ashes.  A  part  of  the  mirrour  is  in  my  possession,  as  well 
as  a  piece  of  brick  taken  from  the  spot  at  the  time.  Tiie  knife  or  sword 
handle  was  sent  to  Mr.  Teal's  Museum  at  Philadelphia. 

"To  the  southwest  of  this  tunndus,  about  40  rods  from  it,  is  another, 
more  than  90  feet  in  height,  which  is  shown  on  the  plate  representing  these 
Avorks.  It  stands  on  a  largo  hill,  which  appears  to  be  artificial.  This  must 
have  ■  .n  the  common  cemetery,  as  it  contains  an  immense  number  of 
human  skeletons  of  all  sizes  and  ages.  Tin?  skeletons  are  laid  liorizontally, 
with  their  heads  generally  towards  tlie  center  and  the  feet  towards  the  out- 
side of  the  tumulus.  A  considerable  part  of  this  work  still  stands  uninjured, 
except  by  time.     In  it  have  been  found,  besides  these  skeletons,  stone  axes 


MOUND  BURIAL-OHIO. 


21 


he  contents. 

original  sur- 

sre  so  large 

made  of  an 
was  a  ferule 
e.  Though 
yet  no  iron 

which  were 
appeared  to 
It  consumed 
ittle  to  the 
north  of  it 

es  in  thick- 
lit— 

3fore  it  was 
ir  answered 
n  had  also 
onsiderable 
on,  as  well 
'e  or  sword 

is  another, 
nting  these 
This  must 
number  of 
rizontally, 
Is  the  out- 
uninjured, 
stone  axes 


and  knives  and  several  ornaments,  with  holes  through  them,  by  means  of 
which,  with  a  cord  passing  through  these  perfoi'ations  they  could  be  worn  by 
their  owners.  On  the  south  side  of  this  tumulus,  and  not  far  from  it,  was 
a  semicircular  fosse,  which,  when  I  first  saw  it,  was  6  feet  deep.  On  open- 
ing it  was  discovered  at  the  bottom  a  great  quantity  of  Jmman  bones, 
which  I  am  inclined  to  believe  were  the  remains  of  those  who  had  been 
slain  in  some  great  and  destructive  battle:  first,  because  they  belonged 
to  persons  who  had  attained  their  full  size,  whereas  in  the  mound  adjoining 
were  found  the  skeletons  of  persons  of  all  ages;  and,  secondly,  they  were 
liere  in  the  utmost  confusion,  as  if  buried  in  a  hurry.  May  we  not  con- 
jecture that  they  belonged  to  the  people  who  resided  in  the  town,  and  Avho 
were  victorious  in  the  engagement  I  Otherwise  they  would  not  have  been 
thus  honorably  btxried  in  the  common  cemetery. 

CHILLICOTHE    MOUND. 

"Its  perpendicular  height  was  about  15  feet,  and  the  diameter  of  its 
base  .about  CO  feet.  It  was  composed  of  sand  and  contained  human  bones 
belonging  to  skeletons  which  were  buried  in  different  parts  of  it.  It  was 
not  imtil  this  pile  of  earth  was  removed  and  the  original  surface  exposed 
to  view  that  a  probable  conjecture  of  its  original  design  could  be  formed. 
About  20  feet  square  of  the  surface  had  been  leveled  and  covered  with 
bark.  On  the  center  of  this  lay  a  human  skeleton,  over  which  had  been 
spread  a  mat  manufactured  either  from  weeds  or  bark.  On  the  breast  lay 
what  had  been  a  piece  of  copper,  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  which  had  now 
become  verdigrise.  On  the  breast  also  lay  a  stone  ornament  with  two 
perforations,  one  near  each  end,  through  which  passed  a  string,  by  means 
of  which  it  was  suspended  around  the  wearer's  neck.  On  this  string,  which 
was  made  of  sinews,  and  very  much  injured  by  time,  were  placed  a  great 
many  beads  made  of  ivory  or  bone,  for  I  cannot  certainly  say  which.  *  *  * 

MOUNDS   OF   STONE. 

"Two  such  mounds  have  been  described  already  in  the  county  of 
Perry.  Others  have  been  found  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  There 
is  one  at  least  in  the  vicinity  of  Licking  River,  not  many   miles  from 


22 


MOUND  BURIAL— ILLINOIS. 


Newark.     There  is  another  on  a  branch  of  Ilargus's  Creek,  a  few  miles  to 
the  nortlieast  of  Circleville.      There  were  several  not  very  fur  from  the 
town  of  Chillicothe.     If  these  mounds  were  sometimes  used  as  cemeteries 
of  distinj^uislied  persons,  they  were  also  used  as  monuments  with  a  view 
of  perpetuatinj^  the  recollection  of  some  great  transaction  or  event.     In 
the  former  not  more  generally  than  one  or  two  skeletons  are  found;  in  the 
latter  none.     These  mounds  are  like  those  of  earth,  in  form  of  a  cone,  com- 
posed of  small  stones  on  which  no  marks  of  tools  were  visible.     In  them 
some  of  the  most  interesting  articles  are  found,  such  as  urns,  ornaments  of 
coi)per,  heads  of  spears,  &c.,  of  the  same  metal,  as  well  as  medals  of  copper 
and  pickaxes  of  horneblende;    *    *    *    works  of  this  class,  compared  with 
those  of  earth,  are  few,  and  they  are  none  of  them  as  large  as  the  mounds 
at  GIrave  Creek,  in  the  town  of  Circleville,  which  belong  to  the  first  class. 
I  saw  one  of  these  stone  tumuli  which  had  been  piled  on  the  surface  of  the 
earth  on  the  spot  where  three  skeletons  had  been  buried  in  stone  coffins, 
beneath  the  surface.     It  was  situated  on  the  western  edge  of  the  hill  on 
which  the  "Availed  town"  stood,  on  Paint  Creek.     The  graves  appear  to 
have  been  dug  to  about  the  depth  of  oui-s  in  the  present  times.     After  the 
bottom  and  sides  were  lined  with  thin  flat  stones,  the  corpses  were  placed 
in  these  graves  in  an  eastern  and  western  direction,  and  large  flat  stones 
Avere  laid  over  the  graves;  then  the  earth  which  had  been  dug  out  of  the 
graves  was  thrown  over  them.     A  huge  pile  of  stones  was  placed  over  the 
whole.     It  is  quite  probable,  however,  that  this  was  a  work  of  our  present 
race  of  Indians.     Such  graves  are  more  common  in  Kentucky  than  Ohio. 
No  article,  except  the  skeletons,  was  found  in  these  gi-aves ;  and  the  skele- 
tons resembled  very  nuich  the  i)resent  race  of  Indians." 

The  mounds  of  Sterling  County,  Illinois,  are  described  by  W.  C. 
llolbrook,*  as  follow . 

"  I  recently  made  an  examination  of  a  few  of  the  many  Indian  mounds 
found  on  Rock  River,  about  two  miles  above  Sterling,  111.  The  first  one 
opened  was  an  oval  inound  about  20  feet  long,  12  feet  wide,  and  7  feet  high. 
In  the  interior  of  this  I  found  a  dolmen  or  quadrilateral  wall  about  10  feet 
long,  4  feet  high,  and  4^  feet  wide.     It  had  been  built  of  lime-rock  from  a 


'Auier.  Natural.,  1877,  xi,  No.  11,  p.  688. 


il 


MOU^'D  BURIAL— ILLINOIS. 


S8 


quarry  near  by,  and  was  covered  witli  largo  flat  stones.  No  mortar  or 
cement  had  been  used.  The  whole  structure  rested  on  the  surface  of  tho 
natural  soil,  the  interior  of  which  had  been  scooped  out  to  enlarga  the 
chamber.  Inside  of  the  dolmen  I  found  the  partly  decayed  remains  of  eight 
human  skeletons,  two  very  large  teeth  of  an  unknown  animal,  two  fossils,  one 
of  which  is  not  found  in  this  place,  and  a  plummet.  One  of  the  long  bones 
had  been  splintered ;  the  fragments  had  united,  but  there  remained  largo 
morbid  growths  of  bone  (exostosis)  in  several  places.  One  of  the  skulls 
presented  a  circular  opening  about  the  size  of  a  siKer  dime.  This  perfora- 
tion had  been  made  during  life,  for  the  edges  had  commenced  to  cicatrize. 
I  later  examined  three  circular  mounds,  but  in  them  I  found  no  dolmens. 
The  first  mound  contained  three  adult  human  skeletons,  a  few  fragments  of 
the  skeleton  of  a  child,  the  lower  maxillary  of  which  indicated  it  to  be  about 
six  years  old.  I  also  found  claws  of  some  carnivorous  animal.  The  sur- 
face of  the  soil  had  been  scooped  out  and  the  bodies  laid  in  the  excavation 
and  covered  with  about  a  foot  of  earth ;  fires  had  then  been  made  upon  the 
grsive  and  the  mound  afterwards  completed.  The  bones  had  not  been  charred. 
No  charcoal  was  found  among  the  bones,  but  occurred  in  abundance  in  a 
stratum  about  one  foot  above  them.  Two  other  mounds,  examined  at  the 
same  time,  contained  no  remains. 

"  Of  two  other  mounds,  opened  later,  the  first  was  circular,  about  4  feet 
high,  and  15  feet  in  disimeter  at  the  base,  and  was  situated  on  an  elevated 
point  of  land  close  to  the  bank  of  the  river.  From  the  top  of  this  mound 
one  might  view  the  country  for  many  miles  in  almost  any  direction.  On  its 
summit  was  an  oval  altar  6  feet  long  and  4J  wide.  It  was  composed  of  flat 
pieces  of  limestone,  which  had  been  burned  red,  some  portions  having  been 
almost  converted  into  lime.  On  and  about  this  altar  I  found  abundance  of 
charcoal.  At  tho  sides  of  the  altar  were  fragments  of  human  bones,  some 
of  which  had  been  charred.  It  was  covered  by  a  natural  growth  of  vege- 
table mold  and  sod,  the  thickness  of  which  was  about  10  inches.  Large 
trees  had  once  grown  in  this  vegetable  mold,  but  their  stumps  were  so  de- 
cayed I  could  not  tell  with  certainty  to  what  species  they  belonged.  Another 
large  mound  was  opened  which  contained  nothing." 

The  next  account  relates  to  the  grave-mounds  near  Pensacola,  Fla., 


% 


24 


MOUND  BUKIAL— FLOIllDA. 


and  was  oriffinivUy  published  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg,  surgeon  United 

States  Army  :* 

"  Before  visiting  the  mound  I  was  informed  that  the  Indians  were 
buried  in  it  in  an  upright  position,  each  one  with  a  chiy  pot  on  his  liead. 
This  idea  was  based  upon  some  superficial  explorations  which  had  been 
made  from  time  to  time  by  curiosity  hunters.     Their  excavations  had,  in- 
deed, brought  to  light  pots  containing  fragments  of  skulls,  but  not  buried 
in  the  pf»sition  they  imagined.     Very  extensive  explorations  made  at  differ- 
ent times  by  myself  have  shown  that  only  fragments  of  skulls  and  of  the 
long  bones  of  the  body  are  to  be  found  in  the  mound,  and  that  these  are 
commonly  associated  with  earthen  pots,  sometimes  whole,  but  nu>re  fre- 
(piently  broken  fragments  only.     In  some  instances  portions  of  the  skull 
were  placed  in  a  pot,  and  the  long  bones  were  deposited  in  its  immediate 
vicinity.     Again,  the  pots  would  contain  only  sand,  and  fragments  of  bones 
would  be  found  near  them.     The  most  successful  '  find '  I  made  was  a  whole 
nest  of  pots,  to  the  number  of  half  a  dozen,  all  in  a  good  state  of  preservation, 
and  buried  with  a  fragment  i)f  skull,  which  I  take  from  its  small  size  to 
have  been  that  of  a  female.     Whether  this  female  was  thus  distinguished 
above  all  others  buried  in  the  mound  by  the  number  of  i)ots  depo.sited  with 
her  remains  because  of  her  skill  in  the  manufacture  of  such  ware,  or  by 
reason  of  the  unusual  wealth  of  her  sorrowing  husband,  must  remain  a  mat- 
ter of  conjecture.     I  found  altogether  fragments  of  skulls  and  thigh-bones 
belonging  to  at  least  fifty  individuals  ;  but  in  no  instance  did  I   find  any- 
thing like  a  complete  skeleton.     There  were  no  vertebra^  no  ribs,  no  pelvic 
bones,  and  none  of  the  small  bones  of  the  hands  and  feet.     Two  or  three 
skulls  nearly  perfect  were  found,  but  they  were  so  fragile  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  preserve  them.     In  the  majority  of  instances  oidy  fragments  of  the 
frontal  and  parietal  bones  were  found,  buried  in  pots  or  in  fragments  of  pots 
too  small  to  have  ever  contained  a  complete  skull.     The  conclusion  was 
irresistible  that  this  was  not  a  burial-place  for  the  bodies  of  deceased  In- 
dians, but  that  the  bones  had  been  gathered  from  some  other  locality  for 
burial  in  this  mound,  or  that  cremation  was  practiced  before  burial,  and  the 
fragments  of  bone  not  consumed  by  fire  were  gathered  and  deposited  in  the 

*  Proc.  Am.  Ass.  Adv.  of  Suioncp,  1875,  p.  aiBS. 


MOUND  BUUIAL— FLORIDA. 


25 


momid.  Tlint  tho  latter  Hiippositfon  ih  the  oorroct  one  1  deem  pntbiililo 
from  tho  fact  that  in  (li<»'<rln<^  in  the  mound  evidences  of  lire  nre  found  in 
nunierouH  phvces,  but  without  any  re},ndarity  as  to  deptli  and  position. 
Tlieso  evidences  consist  in  strata  of  from  one  to  four  inches  in  thickness,  in 
which  the  sand  is  of  a  dark  color  and  has  mixed  with  it  numerous  small 
fragments  of  charcoal. 

"  My  theory  is  that  tho  mound  was  built  by  gradual  accretion  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner :  That  when  a  death  occun*ed  a  funeral  i)yre  was  erected  on 
tho  mound,  upon  which  tho  body  was  placed.  That  after  tho  body  was 
consumed,  any  fragments  of  bones  remaining  were  gathered,  placed  in  a  pot, 
and  buried,  and  that  the  ashes  and  cinders  were  covered  by  a  layer  of  sand 
brought  from  the  inunediate  vicinity  for  that  i)urpose.  This  view  is  further 
supported  by  the  fact  that  only  the  shafts  of  the  long  bones  are  found,  the 
expanded  extremities,  which  would  be  most  easily  consumed,  having  disap- 
peared ;  also,  by  the  fact  that  no  bones  of  children  were  found.  Their 
bones  being  smaller,  and  containing  a  less  proportion  of  earthy  matter, 
would  be  entirely  consumed.     *     *     * 

"At  tho  Santa  Rosa  mound  tho  method  of  burial  was  different.  Here 
I  found  the  skeletons  comjdete,  and  obtained  nine  well-preserved  skulls. 
*  *  *  The  bodies  wore  not  apparently  deposited  upon  any  regular  sys- 
tem, and  I  found  no  objects  of  interest  associated  with  the  remains.  It  may 
be  that  this  was  duo  to  the  fact  that  the  skeletons  found  were  those  of  war- 
riors who  had  fallen  in  battle  in  which  they  had  sustained  a  defeat.  This 
view  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  they  were  all  males,  and  that  two  of  the 
skulls  bore  marks  of  ante-n)ortem  injuries  which  must  have  been  of  a  fatal 
character." 

Writing  of  the  Choctaws,  Bartram,*  in  alluding  to  the  ossuary  or  bone- 
house,  mentions  that  so  soon  as  this  is  filled  a  general  inhumation  takes 
place,  in  this  manner: 

"  Then  the  respective  coffins  are  borne  by  the  nearest  relatives  of  the 
deceased  to  the  place  of  interment,  where  they  are  all  piled  one  upon  an- 

id,  and  tho  conical  hill  of  earth  heaped  above. 


py 


•  Bartraiu's  Travels,  1791,  p.  513. 


11! 


I         I' 


1    I 


26  MOUND  liriMAIi-NOUTn  CAllOLINA. 

Tilt!  fimunil  coroinonios  aro  conchukHl  with  tho  solemniisation  of  a  fostival 
called  tho  foast  of  the  dead." 

Mr.  Florian  Giaiupie,  of  (Tiiicinnati,  Ohio,  fiirni«ho8  an  account  of  a 
Boinowhat  curious  niouud-buritd  which  had  taken  place  in  tho  Miami  Vul- 

loy  of  ( )hlo : 

"  A  mound  wm  opened  in  this  locality,  some  years  n«,'o,  containing'  a 
central  corpse  in  a  sittinj,'  posture,  and  over  thirty  skeletons  buried  around 
it  in  a  circle,  vdso  in  a  sittiu},'  posture,  but  loaninj,'  af,minst  ono  another, 
tipped  over  towards  tho  ri<,'ht,  faclnj;'  inwards.  I  did  not  see  this  opened, 
but  have  seen  tho  mounds  and  many  orruiments,  awls,  &c.,  said  to  have 
been  found  near  the  central  body.  Tho  parties  informiii},'  n.o  aro  trust- 
worthy." 

As  an  example  of  interment,  uni(pu',  so  far  as  known,  and  interesting 
as  being  sid  ycurris,  tho  following  is  i)resented,  with  tho  statement  that 
tho  author,  Dr.  J.  Mason  Spaii\hour,  of  Lenoir,  N.  C,  boars  the  reputation 
of  an  observer  of  undoubted  integrity,  whoso  facts  as  given  may  not  bo 
doubted: 

^'Excavation  of  an  Indian  mound  hy  J.  Mason  Spainhour,  I).  D.  S.,  of  Lenoir, 
Caldwell  County,  North  Carolina,  March  11,  1871,  on  the  farm  of  JR.  V. 
Michaux,  esq.,  near  John's  River,  in  Burke  County,  North  Carolina. 

"  In  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Michaux  on  Indian  curiosities,  he  informed 
me  that  there  was  an  Indian  nio\nid  on  his  farm  which  was  formerly  of 
considerable  height,  l)ut  had  gradually  bo.n  plowed  down ;  that  several 
mounds  in  tho  neighborhood  had  been  oxtavated,  and  nothing  of  interest 
found  in  them.  I  asked  permission  to  examine  this  mound,  which  was 
granted,  and  upon  investigation  tho  following  facts  wore  revealed  : 

"  Upon  reaching  tho  place,  I  sharpened  a  stick  4  or  5  foot  in  length 
and  ran  it  down  in  the  earth  at  several  places,  and  finally  struck  a  rock 
about  18  inches  below  the  surface,  which,  on  digging  down,  was  found  to 
be  smooth  on  top,  lying  horizontally  upon  solid  earth,  about  18  inches 
above  tho  bottom  of  the  grave,  18  inches  in  length,  and  16  inches  in  width, 
and  from  2  to  3  inches  in  thickness,  with  the  corners  rounded. 

'*  Not  finding  anything  inider  this  rock,  I  then  made  an  excavation  in 


'.,!«■.•", 


.#'^""; 


MOUND  IJUUIAIi— NOUTII  CAHOLINA. 


97 


tlio  HOtitli  of  tlio  grave,  nnd  soon  Htruc-k  niiotlior  rock,  wliicli  ii])on  oxam- 
imitioii  |trov(!(l  to  bo  in  front  of  thu  reinniuH  of  a  liuiiiaii  skeleton  in  a 
hitting  postnre.  Tho  bones  of  the  fingers  of  the  right  liand  were  resting  on 
this  rock,  an<l  on  the  rock  near  the  hand  was  a  small  stone  about  5  inches 
h»ng,  resembling  a  UMnaliawk  or  Indian  hatchet.  Upon  a  further  examina- 
tion many  of  the  l)ones  were  found,  though  in  a  very  decomposed  condi- 
tion, and  upon  exposure  t(»  the  air  soon  crumbled  to  pieces.  The  heads  of 
the  bones,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  skull,  maxillary  bones,  teeth,  neck 
bones,  and  the  vertebra,  were  in  their  proper  places,  thotigh  the  weight  of 
the  earth  above  them  had  driven  them  down,  yet  the  entire  frame  was  80 
perfect  that  it  was  an  easy  niatter  to  trace  all  the  liones ;  the  l)ones  of  the 
cranium  were  slightly  inclined  toward  the  east.  Around  the  nock  were 
found  coarse  beads  that  seemed  to  bo  of  some  hard  substance  and  resem- 
bled chalk.  A  small  lump  of  red  paint  about  the  size  of  an  ogff  was  found 
near  the  right  side  of  this  skeleton.  The  sutures  of  the  cranium  indicated 
the  subject  to  have  been  2^)  or  2H  years  of  age,  and  its  top  rested  about  12 
inches. below  the  mark  of  the  plow. 

"  I  made  a  further  excavation  toward  the  west  of  this  grave  and  found 
another  skeleton,  similar  to  tho  first,  in  a  sitting  posture,  facing  the  east. 
A  rock  was  on  tho  right,  on  which  the  bones  of  tho  right  hand  were  rest- 
ing, and  on  this  rock  was  a  tomahawk  which  had  been  about  7  inches  in 
length,  but  was  broken  into  two  pieces,  and  was  much  better  finished  than 
the  first.  Beads  were  also  around  the  neck  of  this  one,  but  are  much 
smaller  and  of  finer  quality  than  those  on  the  neck  of  the  first.  Tho  mate- 
rial, however,  seems  to  be  tho  same.  A  much  larger  amount  of  paint  was 
found  by  the  side  of  this  than  the  first.  Tho  bones  indicated  a  person  of 
large  frame,  who,  I  think,  was  about  50  years  of  sigo.  Everything  about 
this  one  had  tho  appearance  of  superiority  over  the  first.  Tho  top  of  the 
skull  was  about  G  inches  below  the  mark  of  tho  plane. 

"  1  continued  tho  examination,  and,  after  diligent  search,  found  noth- 
ing at  the  north  side  of  the  grave ;  but,  on  reaching  tho  east,  found  another 
skeleton,  in  the  same  jwsturo  as  the  others,  facing  the  west.  On  the  right 
aide  of  this  was  a  rock  on  which  the  bones  of  the  right  hand  wore  resting, 
and  on  the  rock  was  also  a  tomahawk,  which  had  been  about  8  inches  in 


I'l, 


ni: 


I 


;■    .f 


28 


MOUND  BUllIAL— NORTH  C^VROLINA 


'  'J 


len«?tli,  but  was  broken  into  three  pieces,  and  was  composed  of  much  better 
material,  and  better  finished  than  the  others.  Beads  were  also  found  on 
the  neck  of  this,  but  much  smaller  and  finer  than  those  of  the  others.  A 
larger  amount  of  paint  than  both  of  the  others  was  found  near  this  one. 
The  top  of  the  cranium  had  been  moved  by  the  plow.  The  bones  indicated 
a  person  of  40  years  of  age. 

"There  was  no  appearance  of  hair  discovered;  besides,  the  smaller 
bones  were  almost  entirely  decomposed,  and  would  crumble  when  taken 
from  their  bed  in  the  earth.  These  two  circumstances,  coupled  with  the 
fact  that  the  farm  on  which  this  grave  was  found  was  the  first  settled  in 
that  part  of  the  countr}',  the  date  of  the  first  deed  made  from  Lord  Gran- 
ville tc  John  Perkins  running  back  abo.it  150  years  (the  land  still  belong- 
ing to  the  descendants  of  the  same  family  that  first  occupied  it),  would 
prove  beyond  doubt  that  it  is  a  very  old  grave. 

"  The  grave  was  situated  due  east  and  west,  in  si^e  about  9  by  C  feet, 
the  lino  being  distinctly  marked  by  the  diflference  in  the  color  of  the  soil. 
It  was  dug  in  rich,  black  loam,  and  filled  around  the  bodies  with  white  or 
yellow  sand,  which  I  suppose  was  carried  from  the  river-bank,  200  yards 
distant.  The  skeletons  approximated  the  walls  of  the  grave,  and  contigu- 
ous to  them  was  a  dark-colored  earth,  and  so  decidedly  different  was  this 
from  all  surrounding  it,  both  in  quality  and  odor,  that  the  line  of  the  bodies 
could  be  readily  traced.  The  odor  of  this  decomposed  earth,  which  had 
been  flesh,  was  similar  to  clotted  blood,  and  would  adhere  in  lumps  when 
compressed  in  the  hand. 

"  This  was  not  the  grave  of  the  Indian  warriors ;  in  those  we  find  pots 
ma(l(i  of  earth  or  stone,  and  all  the  i.nplements  of  war,  for  the  warrior  had 
an  idea  that  after  ho  arose  from  the  dead  ho  would  need,  in  the  "  hunting- 
grounds  beyond,"  his  bow  and  ar^o  v,  war-hatchet,  and  scalping-knife. 

"  The  facts  set  forth  will  doubtless  convince  every  Mason  who  will 
carefully  read  the  account  of  this  remarl.able  burial  that  the  American 
Indians  were  in  possession  of  at  least  some  of  the  myoteries  of  our  order, 
and  that  it  was  evidently  the  grave  of  Masons,  and  the  three  highest  officers 
in  a  Masonic  lodge.  The  grave  was  situated  due  east  and  west ;  an  altar 
was  erected  in  the  center;  the  south,  west,  and  east  were  occupied— ^/tt'  north 


CAVE  BURIAL. 


29 


was  not;  implements  of  authority  were  near  each  body.  The  difference  in 
the  quality  of  the  beads,  the  tomahawks  in  one,  two,  and  three  pieces,  and 
the  difference  that  the  bodies  were  placed  from  the  surface,  indicate  beyond 
doubt  that  these  three  persons  had  been  buried  by  Masons,  and  those,  too, 
that  understood  what  they  were  doing. 

"  Will  some  learned  Mason  unravel  this  mystery,  and  inform  the 
Masonic  world  how  they  obtained  so  much  Masonic  information  ! 

"  The  tomahawks,  maxillary  bones,  some  of  the  teeth,  beads,  and  other 
bones,  have  been  forwarded  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  to  be  placed  among  the  archives  of  that  institution  for  exhibition,  at 
which  place  they  may  be  seen." 

If  Dr.  Spainhour's  inferences  are  incorrect,  still  there  is  a  remarkable 
coincidence  of  circumstances  patent  to  every  Mason. 

CAVE  BURIAL. 

Natural  or  artificial  holes  in  the  ground,  caverns,  and  fissures  in  rocks 
have  been  used  as  places  of  deposit  for  the  dead  since  the  earliest  periods 
of  time,  and  are  used  up  to  the  present  day  by  not  only  the  American 
Indians,  but  by  peoples  noted  for  their  mental  elevation  and  civilization, 
our  cemeteries  furnishing  numerous  specimens  of  artificial  or  partly  artifi- 
cial caves.  As  to  the  motives  which  have  actuated  this  mode  of  burial,  a 
discussion  would  be  out  of  place  at  this  time,  except  as  may  incidentally 
relate  to  our  own  Indians,  who,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  simply  adopted 
caves  as  ready  and  convenient  resting  places  for  their  deceased  relatives 
and  friends. 

In  almost  every  State  in  the  Union  burial  caves  have  been  discovered, 
but  as  there  is  mote  or  less  of  identity  between  them,  a  few  illustrations 
will  serve  the  purpose  of  calling  the  attention  of  observers  to  the  subject. 

While  in  the  Territory  of  Utah,  in  1872,  the  writer  discovered  a 
natural  cave  not  far  from  the  House  Range  of  mountains,  the  entrance  to 
which  resembled  the  shaft  of  a  mine.  In  this  the  Gosi-Ute  Indians  had 
deposited  their  dead,  surrounded  with  different  articles,  until  it  wns  quite 
filled  up;  at  least  it  so  appeared  from  the  cursory  examination  mad  .  limited 
time  preventing  a  careful  exploration.    ■  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  anotlier 


u 


f> 


30 


CAVE  BURIAL— UTAH. 


'    ' 


cave  Wcis  heard  of,  from  an  Indian  guide,  near  the  Nevada  border,  in  the 
same  Territory,  and  an  attempt  made  to  explore  it,  which  failed  for 
reasons  to  be  subsequently  given.  This  Indi.an,  a  Gosi-Uto,  who  was 
questioned  regarding  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  his  tribe,  informed  the 
writer  that  not  far  from  the  very  spot  where  the  party  were  encamped  was 
a  large  cave  in  which  he  had  himself  assisted  in  placing  dead  members  of 
his  tribe.  He  described  it  in  detail  and  drew  a  rough  diagram  of  its  posi- 
tion and  appearancu  within.  He  was  asked  if  an  entrance  could  be  effected, 
and  replied  that  he  thought  not,  as  some  years  previous  his  people  had 
stopped  up  the  nan-ow  entrance  to  prevent  game  from  seeking  a  refuge  in 
its  vast  vaults,  for  he  asserted  that  it  was  so  large  and  extended  so  far  under 
ground  that  no  man  knew  its  full  extent.  In  consideration,  however,  of  a 
very  liberal  bribe,  after  many  refusals,  he  agreed  to  act  as  guide.  A  rough 
ride  of  over  an  hour  and  the  desired  spot  was  reached.  It  was  found  to  be 
almost  upon  the  apex  of  a  small  mountain  apparently  of  volcanic  origin, 
for  the  hole  which  was  pointed  out  appeared  to  have  been  the  vent  of  the 
crater.  This  entrance  was  irregularly  circular  in  form  and  descended  at  an 
angle.  As  the  Indian  had  stated,  it  was  completely  stopped  up  with  largo 
stones  and  roots  of  sage  brush,  and  it  was  only  after  six  hours  of  uninter- 
rupted, faithful  labor  that  the  attempt  to  exploi-e  was  abandoned.  The 
guide  was  asked  if  many  bodies  were  therein,  and  replied  "  Heaps,  heaps," 
moving  the  hands  upwards  as  far  asthey  could  be  stretched.  There  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  the  information  received,  aa  it  was  volun- 
tarily imparted. 

In  a  communication  received  from  Dr.  A.  J.  McDonald,  physi.  ian  to 
the  Los  Pinos  Indian  Agency,  Colorado,  a  description  is  given  of  crevice  or 
ror'   fissure  burial,  which  follows: 

"  As  sooi  IS  death  takes  place  the  event  is  at  once  announced  by  the 
medicine-man,  and  without  loss  of  time  the  squaws  are  busily  engaged  in 
preparing  the  corpse  for  the  grave.  This  does  not  tai.e  long;  whatever 
articles  of  clothing  may  have  been  on  the  body  at  the  time  of  death  are 
not  removed.  The  dead  man's  limbs  are  straightened  out,  his  weapons  of 
war  laid  by  his  side,  and  his  robes  and  blankets  wrapped  securely  and 
snugly  around  him,  and  now  everything  is  ready  for  burial.      It  is  'iie 


.^#«- 


l^.. 


CAVE  BURIAL— UTAH. 


31 


custom  to  secure,  if  possible,  for  the  purpose  of  wrapping  up  the  corpse, 
the  robes  and  blankets  in  which  the  Indian  died.  At  the  same  thne  that 
the  body  is  being  fitted  for  interment,  tlie  squaws  having  immediate  care 
of  it,  together  with  all  the  other  squaws  in  the  neighborhood,  keep  up  a 
continued  chant  or  dirge,  the  dismal  cadence  of  which  may,  when  the 
congregation  of  women  is  large,  be  heard  for  quite  a  long  distance.  The 
death  song  is  not  a  mere  inarticulate  howl  of  distress ;  it  embraces  expres- 
sions eulogistic  in  character,  but  whether  or  not  any  particular  formula  of 
words  is  adopted  on  such  occasion  is  a  question  which  I  am  unable,  with 
the  materials  at  my  disposal,  to  determine  with  any  degree  of  certainty. 

"  The  next  duty  falling  to  the  lot  of  the  squaws  is  that  of  placing  the 
dead  man  on  a  horse  and  conducting  the  remains  to  the  spot  chosen  for 
burial.  This  is  in  the  cleft  of  a  rock,  and,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  it 
h.'is  alwsiys  been  customary  among  the  Utes  to  select  sepulchres  of  this 
character.  From  descriptions  given  by  Mr.  Harris,  who  has  several  times 
been  fortunate  enough  to  discover  remains,  it  would  appear  that  no  super- 
stitious ideas  are  held  by  this  tribe  with  respect  to  the  position  in  which 
the  body  is  placed,  the  space  accommodati'on  of  the  sepulchre  probably 
regulating  this  matter;  and  from  the  same  source  I  learn  that  it  is  not  usual 
to  find  the  remains  of  more  than  one  Indian  deposited  in  one  grave.  After 
the  body  has  been  received  into  the  cleft,  it  is  well  covered  with  pieces  of 
I'ock,  to  protect  it  against  the  ravages  of  wild  animals.  The  chant  ceases, 
the  squaws  disperse,  and  the  burial  ceremonies  are  at  an  end.  The  men 
during  all  this  time  have  not  been  idle,  though  they  have  in  no  way  partici- 
pated in  the  preparation  of  the  body,  have  not  joined  the  squaws  in  chant- 
ing praises  to  the  memory  of  the  dead,  and  have  not  even  as  mere  specta- 
tors attended  the  funeral,  yet  they  have  had  their  duties  to  perform.  In 
conformity  with  a  long-established  custom,  all  the  personal  property  of  the 
deceased  is  immediately  destroyed.  His  horses  and  his  cattle  are  shot,  and 
his  wigwam,  furniture,  &c.,  burned.  The  performance  of  this  part  of  the 
ceremonies  is  assigned  to  the  men;  a  duty  quite  in  accord  with  their  taste 
and  inclinations.  Occasionally  the  destruction  of  horses  and  other  prop- 
erty is  of  considerable  magnitude,  but  usually  this  is  not  the  case,  owing  to 
a  practice  existing  with  them  of  distributing  their  property  among  their 


32 


CAVE  BURIAL— CALIFORNIA. 


children  while  they  are  of  a  very  tender  age,  retaining  to  themselves  only 
what  is  necessary  to  meet  every-day  requirements. 

"  The  widow  'goes  into  mourning'  by  smearing  lier  face  with  a  sub- 
stance composed  of  pitch  and  charcoal.  The  application  is  made  but  once, 
and  is  allowed  to  remain  on  until  it  wears  off.  This  is  the  only  mourning 
observance  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge. 

"  The  ceremonies  observed  on  the  death  of  a  female  are  the  same  as 
those  in  the  case  of  a  male,  except  that  no  destruction  of  property  takes 
place,  and  of  court  '  ''  apons  are  deposited  with  the  corpse.  Should  a 
youth  die  while  unde.  superintendence  of  white  men,  the  Indians  will 

not  as  a  rule  have  anything  to  do  with  the  interment  of  the  body.  In  a 
case  of  the  kind  wliich  occurred  at  this  agency  some  time  ago,  the  squaws 
prepared  the  body  in  the  usual  manner;  the  men  of  the  tribe  selected  a 
spot  for  the  burial,  and  the  employe's  at  the  agency,  after  digging  a  grave 
and  depositing  the  corpse  therein,  filled  it  up  according  to  the  fashion  of 
civilized  people,  and  then  at  the  request  of  the  Indians  rolled  large  frag- 
ments of  rocks  on  top.  Great  anxiety  was  exhibited  by  the  Indians  to  have 
the  employes  perform  thu  service  as  expeditiously  as  possible." 

An  interesting  cave  in  Calaveras  County,  California,  which  had  been 
used  for  burial  purposes,  is  thus  described  by  Prof.  J.  I).  Whitney  :* 

"The  following  is  an  account  of  the  cave  from  which  the  skulls,  now 
in  the  Smithsonian  collection,  were  taken:  It  is  near  the  Stanislaus  River, 
in  Calaveras  County,  on  a  nameless  creek,  about  two  miles  from  Abbey's 
Ferry,  on  the  road  to  Yallicito,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Robinson.  There  were 
two  or  three  persons  witli  me,  who  had  been  to  the  place  before  and  knew 
that  the  skulls  in  question  were  taken  from  it.  Their  visit  was  some  ten 
years  ago,  and  since  that  the  condition  of  things  in  the  cave  has  greatly 
changed.  Owing  to  some  alteration  in  the  road,  mining  operations,  or  some 
other  cause  which  I  could  not  ascertain,  there  has  accumulated  on  the 
formerly  clean  stalagmitic  floor  of  the  cave  a  thickness  of  some  20  feet  of 
surface  earth  that  completely  conceals  the  bottom,  and  which  could  not  be 
removed  without  consideral)lo  ex))ense.  This  cave  is  about  27  feet  deep  at 
the  mouth  and  40  to  50  feet  at  the  eiul,  and  perhaps  30  feet  in  diameter.    It  is 

•  Rep.  Siiiitlisonian  Inst.  18(57,  p.  40(5. 


Ml 


CAVE  BURIAL— ALASKA. 


33 


the  general  opinion  of  those  who  have  noticed  this  cave  and  saw  it  years 
ago  that  it  was  a  burying-place  of  the  present  Indians.  Dr.  Jones  said  he 
found  remains  of  bows  and  arrows  and  charcoal  with  the  skulls  he  obtained, 
and  which  were  destroyed  at  the  time  the  village  of  Murphy's  was  burned. 
All  the  people  spoke  of  the  skulls  as  lying  on  the  surface  and  not  as  buried 
in  the  stalagmite." 

The  next  description  of  cave  burial,  described  by  W.  H.  Dall*,  is 
so  remarkable  that  it  seems  worthy  of  admittance  to  this  paper.  It  relates 
probably  to  the  Innuit  of  Alaska. 

"  The  earliest  remains  of  man  found  in  Alaska  up  to  the  time  of  writ- 
ing I  refer  to  this  epoch  [Echinus  layer  of  Dall].  There  are  some  crania 
found  by  us  in  the  lowermost  part  of  the  Amaknak  cave  and  a  cra- 
nium obtained  at  Adakh,  near  the  anchorage  in  the  Bay  of  Islands.  These 
were  deposited  in  a  remarkable  manner,  precisely  similar  to  that  adopted 
by  most  of  the  continental  Innuit,  but  equally  different  from  the  modern 
Aleut  fashion.  At  the  Amaknak  cave  we  found  what  at  first  appeared 
to  be  a  wooden  inclosure,  but  which  proved  to  be  made  of  the  very 
much  decayed  supra-maxillary  bones  of  some  large  cetacean.  These 
were  arranged  so  as  to  form  a  rude  rectangular  inclosure  covered  over 
with  similar  pieces  of  bone.  This  was  somewhat  less  than  4  feet  long,  2 
feet  wide,  and  18  inches  deep.  Th«3  bottom  was  formed  of  flat  pieces  of 
stone.  Three  such  were  found  close  together,  covered  with  and  filled  by  an 
accumulation  of  fine  vegetable  and  organic  mold.  In  each  was  the  remains 
of  a  skeleton  in  the  last  stages  of  decay.  It  had  evidently  been  tied  up  in 
the  Innuit  fashion  to  get  it  into  its  narrow  house,  but  all  the  bones,  with  the 
exception  of  the  skull,  were  reduced  to  a  soft  paste,  or  even  entirely  gone. 
At  Adakh  a  fancy  prompted  me  to  dig  into  a  small  knoll  near  the  ancient 
shell-heap;  and  here  we  found,  in  a  precisely  similar  sarcophagus,  the 
remains  of  a  skeleton,  of  which  also  only  the  cranium  retained  sufficient 
consistency  to  admit  of  preservation.  This  inclosure,  however,  was  filled 
With  a  dense  peaty  mass  not  reduced  to  mold,  the  result  of  centuries  of 
spbagnous  growth,  which  had  reached  a  thickness  of  nearly  2  feet  above 
the  remains.     When  we  reflect  upon  the  well-known  slowness  of  this  kind 


.'{   Y 


•  Coiitrib.  to  N.  A.  Ethiiol.,  18T7,  vol.  1,  p.  G2. 


34 


MUMMIES. 


lil 


II.; 
; :    i) 


1 

i 
t.  ;   , 

■     !      1 

m 

1 

„  if 

1 

1: 

of  growth  in  these  northern  regions,  .ittested  by  numerous  Arctic  travelers, 
the  antiquity  of  the  remain's  becomes  evident." 

It  seems  beyond  doubt  that  in  the  majority  of  cases,  especially  as 
regards  tlie  caves  of  the  AVestern  States  and  Territories,  the  interments  Avero 
primary  ones,  and  this  is  likewise  true  of  many  of  the  caverns  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  and  Kentucky,  for  in  the  tln-ee  States  mentioned  many  mummies 
have  been  found,  but  it  is  also  likely  that  such  receptacles  were  largely 
used  as  places  of  secondary  deposits.  The  many  fragmentary  skeletons  and 
loose  bones  found  seem  to  strengthen  this  view. 

MUMMIES. 

In  connection  with  cave  burial,  the  subject  of  mummifying  or  embalm- 
ing the  dead  may  be  taken  up,  as  most  specimens  of  the  kind  have  gen- 
erally been  found  in  such  repositories. 

It  mijrht  bo  both  interesting  and  instructive  to  search  out  and  discuss 
the  causes  Avhich  have  led  many  nations  or  tribes  to  adopt  certain  processes 
with  a  view  to  ])rovent  tliat  return  to  dust  which  all  flesh  must  sooner 
or  later  experience,  but  the  necessarily  limited  scope  of  this  preliminary  work 
precludes  more  than  a  bri.f  mention  of  certain  theories  advanced  by  writers 
of  note,  and  whidi  relate  to  the  ancient  Egyptians.  Possibly  at  the  time 
tlie  Indians  of  America  sought  to  jireserve  their  dead  from  decomposition 
some  sucli  ideas  may  have  animated  them,  but  on  this  point  no  definite 
information  has  been  procured.  In  the  final  volume  an  effort  will  be  made 
to  trace  out  the  origin  of  nuuinnification  among  the  Indians  and  aborigines 
of  this  continent. 

The  Egyptians  embalmed,  according  to  Cassien,  because  during  the 
time  of  the  annual  iinindation  no  interments  could  take  place,  but  it  is 
more  than  likely  tliat  this  hypothesis  is  entirely  fanciful.  It  is  said  by  others 
they  believed  that  so  long  as  the  body  was  preserved  from  corruption  the 
soul  remained  in  it.  Herodotus  states  that  it  was  to  prevent  bodies  from 
becoming  a  prey  to  animal  voracity.  "  They  did  not  inter  them,"  says  he, 
"for  fear  of  their  being  oaten  by  worms;  nor  did  they  burn,  considering 
fire  as  a  ferocious  beast,  devouring  everything  which  it  touched  "  Accord- 
ing to  Diodorns  of  Sicily,  embahnment   originated   in   filial   piety  and 


MTBfMIES— VIRGINIA, 


35 


ivolers, 

ally  as 

s  wcro 

Oliio, 

imnu'es 
argely 

>ns  and 


w 


respect.  Dc  ]\raillet,  however,  in  Ina  tenth  letter  on  Egypt,  attributes  it 
entirely  to  a  religious  belief  insisted  upon  by  the  wise  men  and  ])rie8ts,  who 
taught  their  disciples  that  after  a  certain  number  of  cycles,  of  perhaps  thirty 
or  forty  thousand  years,  the  entire  universe  became  as  it  was  sit  birth,  and 
the  souls  of  the  dead  returned  into  the  same  bodies  in  which  they  had  lived, 
provided  that  the  body  remained  fieo  from  corruption,  and  that  sacrifices 
were  freely  offered  as  oblations  to  the  manes  of  the  deceased.  Considering 
the  great  care  taken  to  preserve  the  dead,  and  the  ponderously  solid  nature 
of  their  tombs,  it  is  cpiite  evident  that  this  theory  obtained  many  believers 
among  the  people.  M.  G annul  believes  embalmment  to  have  been  suggested 
by  tlie  affectionate  sentiments  of  our  nature — a  desire  to  preserve  as  long 
as  possible  the  mortal  remains  of  loved  ones  ;  but  MM.  Volney  and  Pariset 
think  it  Avas  intended  to  obviate,  in  hot  climates  especially,  danger  from 
pestilence,  being  jirimai'ily  a  cheap  and  simple  process,  elegance  and  luxury 
coming  later;  and  the  Count  do  Caylus  states  the  idea  of  embalmment  was 
derived  from  the  finding  of  desiccated  bodies  which  the  burning  sands  of 
Egypt  had  hardened  and  preserved.  Many  other  suppositions  have  arisen, 
but  it  is  thought  the  few  given  above  are  sufficient  to  serve  as  an  introduc- 
tion to  embahnment  in  North  America. 

From  the  statements  of  the  older  writers  on  North  Americjin  Indians, 
it  appears  that  mummifying  was  resorted  to  among  certain  tribes  of  Vir- 
ginia, the  Carolinas,  and  Florida,  especially  for  people  of  distinction,  the 
process  in  Virginia  for  the  kings,  according  to  Beverly,*  being  as  follows: 

"  The  Indians  are  religious  in  preserving  the  Corpses  of  their  Kings 
and  Rulers  after  Death,  which  the}'  order  in  the  following  manner:  First, 
they  neatly  flay  off  the  Skin  as  entire  as  they  can,  slitting  it  only  in  the 
Back;  then  they  pick  all  the- Flesh  off  from  the  Bones  as  clean  as  possible, 
leaving  the  Sinews  fastned  to  the  Bones,  that  they  may  preserve  the  Joints 
together:  then  they  dry  the  Bones  in  the  Sun,  and  put  them  into  the  Skin 
again,  which  in  the  mean  time  has  been  kept  from  drying  or  shrinking ; 
when  the  Bones  are  placed  right  in  the  Skin,  they  nicely  fill  up  the  Vacuities, 
with  a  very  fine  white  Sand.  After  this  they  sew  up  the  Skin  again,  and  the 
Body  looks  as  if  the  Flesh  had  not  been  removed.     They  take  care  to  keep 

•  Hist,  of  Virginia,  1722,  p.  IHr). 


I  I 


H 


I  i, 
llfi 


86 


MUMMIES— VIEGINIA. 


tho  Skin  from  shrinking,  by  tlio  hel[)  of  a  little  Oil  or  Groase,  which  saves  it 
also  from  Corruption.  The  Skin  being  thus  prepar'd,  they  lay  it  in  an  apart- 
ment for  that  purpose,  upon  a  large  Shelf  rais'd  above  tho  Floor.  This  Shelf 
is  spread  with  Mats,  for  the  Corpse  to  rest  easy  on,  and  skreened  with  tho 
same,  to  keep  it  from  tho  Dust.  The  Flesh  they  lay  upon  Hurdles  in  the  Sun 
to  dry,  and  when  it  is  thproughly  dried,  it  is  sewed  up  in  a  Basket,  and  set 
at  the  Feet  of  the  Corpse,  to  which  it  belongs.  In  this  place  also  they  set  up 
a  Quioccos,  or  Idol,  which  they  believe  will  be  a  Guard  to  the  Corpse.  Here 
Night  and  Day  one  or  other  of  the  Priests  must  give  his  Attendance,  to  take 
care  of  the  dead  Bodies.  So  great  an  Honour  and  Veneration  have  these 
ignorant  and  unpolisht  People  for  their  Princes  even  after  they  are  dead." 

It  should  be  added  that,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  this  account  and  others 
like  it  are  somewhat  apocryphal,  and  it  has  been  copied  and  rocopied  a 
score  of  times. 

According  to  Pinkerton*,  the  Werowance  preserved  their  dead  as 
follows : 

a*  *  *  ]jy  IjI^j  jg  commonly  the  sepulchre  of  their  Kings.  Their 
bodies  are  first  bowelled,  then  dried  upon  hurdles  till  they  be  very  dry, 
and  so  about  the  most  of  their  joints  and  neck  they  hang  bracelets,  or 
chains  of  copper,  pearl,  and  such  like,  as  they  used  to  wear.  Their  inwards 
they  stuff  with  copper  beads,  hatchets,  and  such  trash.  Then  lap  they  them 
very  carefully  in  white  skins,  and  so  roll  them  in  mats  for  their  winding- 
sheets.  And  in  the  tomb,  which  is  an  arch  made  of  mats,  they  lay  them 
orderly.  What  remaineth  of  this  kind  of  wealth  their  Kings  have,  they  set 
at  their  feet  in  baskets.     Tiiese  temples  and  bodies  are  kept  by  their  priests. 

"  For  their  ordinary  burials,  they  dig  a  deep  hole  in  the  earth  with 
sharp  stakes,  and  the  corpse  being  lapped  in  skins  and  mats  with  their 
jewels  they  lay  them  upon  sticks  in  the  ground,  and  so  cover  them  with 
earth.  The  burial  ended,  the  women  being  painted  all  their  faces  with 
black  coal  and  oil  do  sit  twenty-four  hours  in  the  houses  mourning  and 
lamenting  by  turns  with  such  yelling  and  howling  as  may  express  their 
great  passions.     *     *     * 

"Upon  the  top  of  certain  red  sandy  hills  in  the  woods  there  are  three 

*  Collection  of  Voyages,  1813,  vol.  xiii,  p.  39. 


|.    \M 


MUMMIES— SOUTH  CAllOLINA. 


87 


h  saves  it 
an  apart- 
1»is  Slielf 
with  tlio 
n  the  Sun 
t,  and  set 
ley  set  up 
16.    Hero 
B,  to  take 
ivo  these 
dead." 
id  others 
copied  a 

dead  as 

.     Their 
ery  dry, 
;elets,  or 
inwards 
ley  tliem 
vinding- 
ay  them 
they  set 
•  priests, 
rth  with 
th  tlieir 
3m  with 
es  with 
ng  and 
ss  their 

'6  three 


great  houses  filled  with  images  of  their  Kings  and  devils  and  tombs  of  their 
])rc(lecessors.  Those  houses  are  near  sixty  feet  in  length,  built  harbourwise 
after  their  building.  This  place  they  count  so  holy  as  that  but  the  priests 
and  Kings  dare  come  into  them;  nor  the  savages  dare  not  go  up  the  river 
in  boats  by  it,  but  they  solemnly  cast  some  piece  of  copper,  white  beads, 
or  pocones  into  the  river  for  fear  their  Okee  should  be  offended  and 
revenged  of  them. 

"  They  think  that  their  Werowances  and  priests  which  they  also  esteem 
quiyouglicosughs,  when  they  are  dead  do  go  beyond  the  mountains  towards 
the  setting  of  the  sun,  and  ever  remain  there  in  form  of  their  Okee,  with 
their  heads  painted  rod  with  oil  and  pocones,  finely  trimmed  with  feathers, 
and  shall  have  beads,  hatchets,  copper,  and  tobacco,  doing  nothing  but 
dance  and  sing  with  all  their  predecessors.  But  the  common  people  they 
suppose  shall  not  live  after  death,  but  rot  in  their  graves  like  dead  dogs." 

The  remark  regarding  truthfulness  will  apply  to  this  account  in  com- 
mon with  the  former. 

The  Congaree  or  Santee  Indians  of  South  Carolina,  according  to  Law- 
son,  used  a  process  of  partial  embalmment,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  sub- 
joined extract  from  Schoolcraft;*  but  instead  of  laying  away  the  remains 
in  caves,  placed  them  in  boxes  supported  above  the  ground  by  crotched 
sticks. 

"  The  manner  of  their  interment  is  thus :  A  mole  or  pyramid  of  earth 
is  raised,  the  mould  thereof  being  worked  very  smooth  and  even,  sometimes 
higher  or  lower,  according  to  the  dignity  of  the  person  whose  monument  it 

On  the  top  thereof  is  an  umbrella,  made  ridge  ways,  like  the  roof  of  a 


IS 


house.  This  is  supported  by  nine  stakes  or  small  posts,  the  grave  being 
about  6  or  8  feet  in  length  and  4  feet  in  breadth,  about  which  is  hung 
gourds,  feathers,  and  other  such  like  trophies,  placed  there  by  the  dead 
man's  relations  in  respect  to  him  in  the  grave,  '^rhe  other  parts  of  the  fune- 
ral rites  are  thus:  As  soon  as  the  party  is  dead  they  lay  the  corpse  upon  a 
piece  of  bark  in  the  sun,  seasoning  or  embalming  it  with  a  small  root  beaten 
to  powder,  which  looks  as  red  as  vermilion  ;  the  same  is  mixed  with  bear's 
oil  to  beautify  the  hair.     After  the  carcass  has  laid  a  day  or  two  in  the  sun 

*  Hist.  ludian  Tribes  of  the  United  States,  18ri4,  Part  IV,  p.  155,  et  aeq. 


h 


4m 


:    i 


m 


i    I  .lifi 


I  ,  4i 


88 


MUMMIES— SOUTH  OAUOMNA. 


tlioy  romovo  it  and  lay  it  upon  crotches  cnt  on  puri)oso  for  tlio  support, 
tlicroonroni  tlio  earth;  tlien  tlioy  anoint  it  all  over  with  the  atbrenu'iitioned 
in<a-e<lic;nts  of  the  nowder  of  this  root  and  bear's  oil.  When  it  is  so  done 
they  cover  it  over  very  exactly  with  the  hark  of  the  pine  or  cypress  tree 
to  prevent  any  rain  to  fall  upon  it,  sweepinj[^  the  gronnd  very  clean  all 
abont  it.  Some  of  his  nearest  of  kin  brinj^s  all  the  temporal  estate  ho  was 
possessed  of  at  his  death,  as  gnns,  bows  and  arrows,  beads,  feathers,  match- 
coat,  &c.  This  relation  is  the  chief  mourner,  being  clad  in  moss,  with  a 
stick  in  his  hand,  kee[)ing-  a  moiniiful  ditty  for  three  or  four  days,  his  face 
bein<«-  black  with  the  smoke  of  pitch-pino  mixed  with  bear's  oil.  All  the 
while  he  tells  the  dead  man's  relations  and  the  rest  of  the  spectators  who 
that  dead  jjorson  was,  and  of  the  great  feats  i)erformed  in  his  lifetime,  all  that 
he  .s})eaks  tending  to  the  praise  of  the  defunct.  As  soon  as  the  flesh  grows 
mellow  and  will  cleave  from  the  bone  they  get  it  off  and  burn  it,  making 
the  bones  very  clean,  then  anoint  them  with  the  Ingredients  aforesaid, 
wrapj)ing  up  the  skull  (very  carefully)  in  a  cloth  artificially  woven  of  opos- 
sum's hair.  The  bones  they  carefully  preserve  in  a  wooden  box,  every 
year  oiling  and  cleansing  them.  By  those  means  they  p'-eserve  them  for 
many  ages,  that  you  may  see  an  Indian  in  possession  of  C-a  bones  of  his 
grandfather  or  some  of  his  relations  of  a  longer  .'intiquity.  They  have  other 
sorts  of  tombs,  as  when  an  Indian  is  slain  in  that  very  place  they  make  a 
heap  of  stones  (or  sticks  where  stones  are  not  to  be  found) ;  to  this  memo- 
rial every  Indian  that  passes  by  adds  a  stone  to  augment  the  heap  in  respect 
to  the  deceased  hero.  The  Indians  make  a  roof  of  light  wood  or  pitch-pino 
over  the  graves  of  the  more  distinguished,  covering  it  with  bark  and  then 
with  earth,  leaving  the  body  tluis  in  a  subterranean  vault  until  the  flesh 
cpiits  the  bones.  The  bones  are  then  taken  up,  cleaned,  jointed,  clad  in 
white-dressed  deer-skins,  and  laid  away  in  the  Quiogozon,  which  is  the  royal 
tomb  or  burial-place  of  their  kings  and  war-captains,  being  a  more  mag- 
nificent cabin  reared  at  the  public  expense.  This  Quiogozon  is  an  object  of 
veneration,  in  which  the  writer  says  he  has  known  the  king,  old  men,  and 
conjurers  to  spend  several  days  with  their  idols  and  dead  kings,  and  into 
which  he  could  never  gain  admittance." 

Another  class  of  nunnmies  are  those  which  have  been  found  in  the 


MUMM1I<:8— KENTUCKY, 


80 


0  support. 
iu'iiti(Hii3(l 
.s  HO  done 
jjix'ss  tree 
clean  jiU 
to  ho  was 
rs,  inati'li- 
88,  with  il 
J,  his  face 
All  the 
ators  who 
le,  all  that 

Ssh    J>TOWS 

t,  luakiiijf 
aforesaid, 
n  of  opos- 
ox,  every 
thorn  for 
nes  of  his 
lave  other 
y  make  a 
lis  memo- 
ir! respect 
)itch-piiio 
and  then 
the  flesh 
I,  clad  in 
the  royal 
ore  mag- 
object  of 
men,  and 
,  and  into 


Id  m 


the 


Haltpetor  and  other  caves  of  Kentucky,  and  it  is  still  a  matter  of  doubt  with 
archaioloyists  whether  any  special  j)ains  were  taken  to  ja-eHervo  these  bodies, 
many  Ijolioving  that  the  impre<;nation  of  the  soil  with  certain  minerals 
would  account  for  the  condition  in  which  the  specimens  were  found. 
C'liurlos  Wilkins*  thus  describes  one  : 

"  *  *  *  exsiccated  body  of  a  female  *  *  *  was  found  at  tho 
depth  of  about  10  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  cave  bedded  in  clay  stronj^ly 
impregnated  with  nitre,  placed  in  a  sittin}^  posture,  incased  in  broad  stones 
staudiufT  on  their  edges,  Avith  a  flat  stone  covering  the  whole.  It  was  en- 
veloped in  coarse  clothes,  *  *  *  tlii  whole  wrappeil  in  deer-skins,  the 
hair  of  Avhicli  was  shaved  off  in  the  manner  in  which  tho  Indians  prepare 
them  for  nuirket.  Enclosed  in  the  stone  coffin  were  the  working  utensils, 
beads,  feathers,  and  other  ornaments  of  dress  which  belonged  to  her." 

'^J'lie  next  description  is  l)y  Dr.  Sanuiel  L.  Mitchill.t 

[A  letter  from  Dr.  Mitcliill,  of  Now  York,  to  Siuiiiii'l  M.  l<iirimi<ti<,  Ksi).,  Sotrc.tnry  of  tho  Ainuriumi  Aii- 
tiiinariiiii  .Society,  on  North  American  AutiquitieM.] 

''Aua.  24th,  1H15. 

"Dear  Sir  :  I  offer  you  souio  observations  on  a  curious  piece  of  Ameri- 
can antiquity  now  iu  New  York,  It  is  a  human  bodyf  found  in  one  of  the 
limestone  caverns  of  Kentucky.  It  is  a  perfect  exsication ;  all  the  fluids 
are  dried  up.  The  skin,  bones,  and  otiier  firm  parts  are  in  ti  state  of  entire 
preservation.  I  think  it  enough  to  have  puzzled  Bryant  and  all  tho 
archaeologists. 

"This  was  foinid  in  exploring  a  calcareous  cave  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Glasgow  for  saltpetre. 

"  These  recesses,  though  under  ground,  are  yet  dry  enough  to  attract 
and  retain  the  nitrick  acid.  It  combines  with  lime  and  potash  ;  and  proba- 
bly the  earthy  matter  of  these  excavations  contains  >  good  proportion  of 
calcareous  carbonate.  Amidst  these  drying  and  antiseptick  ingredients,  it 
may  be  conceived  that  putrefaction  would  be  stayed,  and  tho  solids  preserved 

•Trans.  Amcr.  Antiq.  Sec,  1820,  vol.  1,  p.  MOO. 

t Trims,  and  Coll.  Am.r.  Antiq.  Soc,  1820,  vol.  1,  p.  :U8. 

t  A  mummy  of  this  kiM<l,  of  a  perstm  of  mature  age,  diseitveiod  in  Kentneky,  is  now  in  tho  cabinet 
of  the  Ameriean  Atiqiiarian  Society.  It  is  u  female.  Several  human  bodies  were  found  enwrapped 
van^liilly  iu  Hkins  aud  cloths.  They  were  inhumed  below  tlio  iloor  of  the  cave ;  tiiliumed,  and  not  lodged 
in  catacombs. 


j^^jgg^^ 


40 


MUMMlES-lvKNTUCKY. 


iVoni  (locay.  Tho  outer  envclopo  of  the  body  ih  u  ilcor-skln,  i)n)h)il»ly  (lii«!(l 
in  tho  u.suiil  way,  and  porliaps  sot'toned  beforo  its  application  l»y  nil)l)injr. 
Tlio  noxt  coverinrf  h  a  deer's  Mkiii,  whoso  hair  liad  been  cut  away  by  a  sharp 
instrument  rosendjlinfc  a  hatter's  knife.  The  renuunit  of  the  liair  and  the 
gashes  in  the  skin  nearly  resemble  a  sheared  pelt  of  beaver.  Tho  next 
wrapper  is  of  cloth  made  of  twine  doubled  and  twisted.  Hut  the  thread 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  formed  by  the  wheel,  nor  the  web  by  the 
loom.  The  warp  and  lilliuH'  seem  t(»  have  been  crossed  and  knotted  by  an 
operation  like  thnt  of  the  fabricks  of  the  n(trthwest  coast,  and  of  the  Sand- 
wich islands.  Such  a  botiinist  as  tlu;  Ininented  Muhlenburgh  could  detor- 
nune  tho  |)lant  which  furnished  the  fibrous  material 

"The  umermost  tegument  is  a  mantle  of  cloth  like  tho  preceding  ;  but 
furnished  with  large  brown  feathers,  arranged  an<l  fastened  with  great  art, 
so  as  to  bo  capable  of  guarding  the  living  wearer  from  wot  and  cold.     Tho 
plumage  is  distinct  and  entire,  and  tho  whole  bears  a  near  similitude  to  t) 
feathery  cloaks  now  worn  by  tho  nations  of  tho  northwestern  coast 
America.     A  Wilson  might  tell  from  what  bird  they  were  derived. 

"  The  body  is  in  a  squatting  posture,  with  the  right  arm  reclining  for- 
ward, and  its  hand  encircling  the  right  leg.  Tho  left  arm  hangs  down, 
with  its  hand  inclined  j)artly  under  the  seat.  Tho  individual,  who  was  a 
male,  did  not  jjrobably  exceed  the  age  of  fourteen,  at  his  death.  There  is 
near  the  occiput  a  deep  aiul  extensive  fracture  of  tho  skull,  which  proba- 
bly killed  him.  The  skin  has  sustained  little  injury  ;  it  is  of  a  dusky  colour, 
but  tho  natural  hue  cannot  be  decided  with  exactness,  from  its  present  ap- 
pearance. The  scalp,  with  snudl  exceptions,  is  covered  with  sorrol  or  foxy 
hair.  The  teeth  are  white  and  sound.  The  hands  and  feet,  in  their  shriv- 
elled state,  are  slender  and  delicate.  All  this  is  worthy  the  investigation  of 
our  acute  and  perspicacious  colleague.  Dr.  Holmes. 

"There  is  nothing  bituminous  or  aromatic  in  or  about  the  body,  like 
the  Egyptian  mummies,  nor  are  there  bandages  around  any  part.  Except 
the  several  wrappers,  tho  body  is  totally  naked.  There  is  no  sign  of  a 
suture  or  incision  about  the  belly;  whence  it  seems  tint  tho  viscera  were 
not  removed. 


MUMMIKS— NOUTIlVVKfcJT  COAHT. 


41 


l»y  nibhiiio-. 
'  •>yahli)ii|) 
nil-  and  tlio 

'i'lio  next 
•lie  tlucad 

ob  by  f|,o 
ttecl  by  iui 

tho  Siiiid- 
[>ul(l  duter- 

fb'ng;  but 
1  great  art, 
!Old.      1'Jio 
udo  to  tJ 
1  coast 
1. 

Wn'mg  for- 
igs  down, 
t^lio  was  a 
There  is 
;b  proba- 
y  colour, 
esont  a])- 
1  or  foxy 
sir  shriv- 
?ation  of 

)dy,  h'ko 

Except 

gn  of  a 

sra  wore 


"It  may  now  bo  expoctod  that  I  should  oft'or  some  opinion,  as  to  tho 
anti(|uity  and  race  of  this  singular  oxsicoation. 

"Kirst,  then,  1  am  satisfied  that  it  does  not  belong  to  that  class  of  whito 
men  of  which  wo  are  members. 

"  2dly.  Nor  do  I  believe  that  it  ought  to  bo  referred  to  tho  bands  of 
Spanish  adventurers,  who,  between  tho  years  ir)00  and  IGOO,  randded  up 
the  Mississippi,  and  along  its  tributary  streams.  lUit  on  this  head  I  should 
like  to  know  the  opinion  of  njy  learned  and  sagacious  friend,  Noah  Webster. 

"  .'klly.  1  am  ccpudly  obliged  to  reject  tho  opinion  that  it  belonged 
to  any  of  tho  trilK's  of  aborigines,  now  or  lately  inhabiting  Kentucky. 

"4thly  Tho  mantle  of  the  feathered  work,  and  the  mantle  of  twisted 
threads,  so  nearly  it'semblo  the  I'abriciks  of  tho  indigines  of  Wakash  and  tho 
Paciiick  islands,  that  1  refer  this  individual  to  that  era  of  time,  and  that  gen- 
eration of  men,  which  preceded  the  Indi ms  of  tho  Green  River,  and  of  the 
place  where  those  relicks  were  fourul.  This  conclusion  is  strengthened  by 
tho  consideration  that  such  nuiniifactures  are  not  prepared  by  the  actual 
and  resident  red  men  of  the  present  day.  If  the  Abbo  Clavigero  had  had 
this  case  before  him,  ho  would  have  thought  of  the  jjooplo  who  constructed 
those  ancient  forts  and  mounds,  whoso  exact  history  no  man  living  can  give. 
But  I  forbear  to  enlarge ;  my  intention  being  merely  to  manifest  my  re- 
spect to  the  society  for  having  enrolled  me  among  its  members,  and  to  invito 
tho  attention  of  its  Antiquarians  to  further  inquiry  on  a  subject  of  such 
curiosity. 

"With  respect,  I  remain  yours, 

"  SAMUEL  L.  MITCHILL." 

It  would  appear  from  recent  researches  on  the  Northwest  coast  that 
tho  natives  of  that  region  embalmed  their  dead  with  much  care,  as  may  bo 
seen  from  the  work  recently  published  by  W.  H.  Dall,*  the  description  of 
tho  mummies  being  as  follows : 

"  Wo  found  tho  dead  disposed  id  in  various  ways ;  first,  by  interment 
in  their  compai'tments  of  the  communal  dwelling,  as  already  described; 
second,  by  being  laid  on  a  rude  platform  of  drift-wood  or  stones  in  some 
convenient  rock  shelter.     These  lay  on  straw  and  moss,  covered  by  mat- 

•Cont,.toN.  A.  Ethnol.,  1877,  vol.  i,  p.  89. 


,«? :! 


m 


42 


MUMMIES— NOKTIIWEST  COAST. 


liiif,--,  and  rarely  have  either  implements,  weapons,  or  carvings  associated 
with  them.  We  found  only  three  or  four  specimens  in  all  in  these  places, 
of  wliidi  we  examined  a  great  number.  This  was  apparently  the  more 
-neient  form  of  disposing  of  the  dead,  and  one  which  more  recently  was 
still  pursued  in  the  case  of  poor  or  unpopular  individuals. 

"Lastly,  in  comparatively  modern  times,  probably  Avithin  a  few  oon- 
turies,  and  up  to  the  historic  period  (1740),  another  mode  was  adopted  for 
the  wealthy,  popidar,  or  more  distinguished  class.  The  bodies  wore  evis- 
cerated, cleansed  from  fatty  matters  in  running  water,  dried,  and  usuall}- 
jdaced  in  suitable  cases  in  wrappings  of  lur  and  fine  grass  matting.  The 
body  was  usually  doubled  up  into  the  smallest  compass,  and  the  mummy 
case,  especially  in  t'.ie  case  of  children,  was  usually  suspended  (so  as  not 
to  touch  the  ground)  in  some  convenient  rock  shelter.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, r!ie  pro})ared  body  was  placed  in  a  lifelike  position,  dressed  and  armed. 
They  were  placed  as  if  engaged  in  some  congenial  occui)ation,  p:;cIi  as 
hunting,  fishing,  sewing,  etc.  With  lliem  were  also  placed  effigies  of  the 
animals  they  were  pursuing,  while  the  hunter  was  dressed  in  his  wooden 
armor  and  provided  with  an  enormous  mask,  all  ornamented  with  feathers 
and  a  countless  variety  of  wooden  pendants,  colored  in  gay  patterns.  All 
tlie  carvings  were  of  wood,  the  weapons  even  Avere  only  fac-similes  in 
wood  of  the  original  articles.  Among  the  articles  rejiresented  were  drums, 
rattles,  dishes,  weapons,  efligies  of  men,  birds,  fish,  and  animals,  wooden 
armor  of  rods  or  scales  of  wood,  and  remarkable  masks,  so  arranged  that 
the  wearer  when  erect  could  only  see  the  ground  at  his  feet.  These  were 
worn  at  their  religious  dances  from  an  idea  that  a  spirit  which  was  supposed 
to  animate  a  temporary  idol  was  fatal  to  whoe\er  might  look  upon  it  while 
so  occupied.  An  extension  of  the  same  idea  led  to  the  masking  of  those 
who  had  gone  into  the  land  of  spirits. 

"  The  })ractlce  of  preserving  the  bodies  of  tliose  belonging  to  the 
whaling  class — a  custom  peculiar  to  the  Kadiak  Innuit — has  erroneously 
been  confounded  with  the  one  now  described.  The  latter  included  women 
as  well  as  men,  and  all  those  whom  the  living  desired  particularly  to  honor. 
The  whalers,  however,  only  preserved  the  bodies  of  males,  and  they  were 
not  associated  with  the  iiaraidiernalia  of  those   I  have  described.     Iiuleed, 


*.  • 


Jissofiiited 
eso  pliicos, 

tlio  moro 
!OiUly  was 

!i  few  v-ori- 
tlopteil  for 
\v?re  ovis- 
il  iKsimll3' 
ing-.    Tl.o 
'  nullum}' 
(so  as  not 
nos,  liovv- 
id  ariiiod. 
.  ?:icl.  as 
es  of  the 
s  wooden 
1  featliers 
ms.     AH 
miles   in 
e  drums, 
wooden 
ged  that 
3S0  were 
iip|)<)sed 
it  wliile 
jf  those 

to  the 
iieously 
women 

honor, 
y  were 
ndeed, 


M UM MIFr'_NOIlTIl WEST  COAST. 


43 


tlie  observations  I  have  been  able  to  nmlce  show  the  bodies  of  the  whalers 
to  have  been  preserved  with  stone  weapons  and  actual  i.*ensils  instead  of 
effigies,  and  with  the  meanest  apparel,  and  no  carvings  of  consecpience. 
Those  details,  and  those  of  many  other  customs  and  usages  of  which  the 
shell  heaps  bear  no  testimony     *     *     *     do  not  come  within  my  line." 

Martin  Saner,  secretary  to  Billings'  Expedition*  in  1802,  speaks  of  the 
Aleutian  Islanders  embalming  their  dead,  as  follows: 

"They  pay  respect,  however,  to  the  memory  of  the  dead,  for  they 
embalm  th-^  bodies  of  the  men  A^itli  dried  moss  and  grass;  bury  them  in 
their  best  attire,  in  a  sitting  postui'o,  in  a  strong  box,  with  their  darts  and 
instruments;  and  decorate  the  tomb  with  various  coloured  mats,  embroidery, 
and  paintings.  With  women,  indeed,  they  use  less  ceremrny.  A  mother 
will  keep  a  dead  child  thus  embalmed  in  then*  hut  for  some  months,  con- 
stantly wiping  it  dry;  and  they  bury  it  when  it  begins  to  smell,  or  when 
they  get  reconciled  to  parting  with  it." 

Regarding  these  same  i)eople,  a  writer  in  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin 
gives  this  account: 

"  The  schooner  William  Sutton,  belonging  to  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company,  has  arrived  from  the  seal  islands  of  the  company  with  the  nmm- 
mified  remains  of  Indians  who  lived  on  an  island  north  of  Ounalaska  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  This  contribution  to  science  was  secured  by 
Captain  Ilenning,  an  agent  of  the  company,  who  has  long  resided  at  Ouna- 
laska. In  his  transactions  with  the  Indians  he  learned  that  tradition  among 
the  Aleuts  assigned  Kagamale,  the  island  in  question,  as  the  last  resting- 
place  of  a  great  chief,  known  as  Karkhayahouchak.  Last  year  the  captain 
was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kagamale,  in  qnest  of  sea-otter  and  other  furs 
and  ho  bore  up  for  the  island,  with  the  i  .iention  of  testing  the  truth  of  the 
tradition  ho  had  heard.  ITo  had  mon-  difficulty  in  entering  the  cave  than 
in  finding  it,  his  schooner  having  to  beat  on  and  off  shore  for  three  days. 
Finally,  he  succeeded  in  effecting  a  landing,  and  clambering  np  the  rocks 
he  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  dead  chief,  his  family  and  relatives. 

"The  cave  sn.elt  strongly  of  hot  sulphurous  vapors.    With  great  caro 

•  JJillings'  Expcd.,  180;i,  p.  101. 


44 


MUMMIES-NOETUWEST  COAST. 


^f;: 


the  niunimies  were  removed,  and  all  the  little  trinkets  and  ornaments  scat- 
tered around  were  also  taken  away. 

"  In  all  there  are  eleven  packages  of  bodies.  Only  two  or  three  have 
as  yet  been  opened.  The  body  of  the  chief  is  inclosed  in  a  large  basket- 
like structure,  about  four  feet  in  height.  Outside  the  wrappings  are  finely- 
wrought  sea-grass  matting,  exquisitely  close  in  texture,  and  skins.  At 
the  bottom  is  a  broad  hoop  or  basket  of  thinly-cut  wood,  and  adjoining  the 
center  portions  are  pieces  of  body  armor  composed  of  reeds  bound  together. 
The  body  is  covered  with  the  fine  skin  of  the  sea-otter,  always  a  mark  of 
distinction  in  the  interments  of  the  Aleuts,  and  round  the  whole  package 
are  stretched  the  meshes  of  a  fish-net,  made  of  the  sinews  of  the  sea  lion; 
also  those  of  a  bird-net.  There  are  evidently  some  bulky  articles  inclosed 
with  the  chief's  body,  and  the  whole  package  differs  very  much  from  the 
others,  wliich  more  resemble,  in  their  brown-grass  matting,  consignments  of 
crude  sugar  from  the  Sandwich  Islands  than  the  remains  of  human  beings. 
The  bodies  of  a  pappoose  and  of  a  very  little  child,  which  probably  died 
at  birth  or  soon  after  it,  have  sea-otter  skins  around  them.  One  of  the  feet 
of  the  latter  projects,  with  a  toe-nail  visible.  The  remaining  mummies  are 
of  adults. 

"One  of  the  packages  has  been  opened,  and  it  reveals  a  man's  body  in 
tolerable  preservation,  but  with  a  large  )iortion  of  the  face  decomposed. 
This  and  the  other  bodies  were  doubled  up  at  death  by  severing  some  of 
the  muscles  at  the  hip  and  knee  joints  and  bending  the  limbs  downward 
horizontally  upon  the  trunk.  Perhaps  tlie  most  peculiar  package,  next  to 
that  of  the  chief,  is  one  which  incloses  in  a  single  matting,  with  sea-lion 
(■kins,  the  bodies  of  a  man  and  woman.  The  collection  also  embraces  a 
couple  of  skulls,  male  and  female,  which  have  still  the  hair  attached  to  the 
scalp.  The  hair  has  cliangcd  its  color  to  a  brownish  red.  The  relics 
obtained  with  the  bodies  include  a  few  wooden  vessels  scooped  out  smoothly; 
a  piece  of  dark,  greenish,  flat  stone,  harder  than  the  emerald,  which  the 
Indians  use  to  tan  skins;  a  scalp-lock  of  jet-black  hair;  a  small  rude  figure, 
which  may  have  been  a  very  ugl}-  doll  or  an  idol ;  two  or  three  tiny  (carv- 
ings  in  ivory  of  the  sea-lion,  very  neatly  executed,  a  comb,  a  necklet 


UENBURIAL. 


45 


made  of  birds'  claws  inserted  into  one  another,  and  several  specimens  of 
little  bags,  and  a  cap  plaited  out  of  soa-grass  and  almost  water-tight." 

With  the  foregoing  examples  as  illustration,  the  matter  of  embalmment 
may  be  for  the  present  dismissed,  with  the  advice  to  observers  that  particular 
care  should  be  taken,  in  case  mummies  are  discovered,  to  ascertain  whether 
the  bodies  have  been  submitted  to  a  regular  preservative  process,  or  owe 
their  protection  to  ingredients  in  the  soil  of  their  graves  or  to  desiccation 
in  arid  districts. 

URIir.BUEIAL. 

To  close  the  subject  of  subterranean  burial  proper,  the  following 
account  of  urn-burial  in  Foster*  may  be  added : 

"  Urn-burial  appears  to  have  been  practiced  to  some  extent  by  the 
mound-builders,  particularly  in  some  of  the  Southern  States.  In  the  mounds 
on  the  Wateree  River,  near  Camden.  S.  C  ,  according  to  Dr  Blanding,  ranges 
of  vases,  one  above  the  other,  filled  with  human  remains,  were  found.  Some- 
times when  the  mouth  of  the  vase  is  small  the  skull  is  placed  with  the  face 
downwai'd  in  the  opening,  constituting  a  sort  of  cover.  Entire  cemeteries 
have  been  found  in  which  urn-burial  alone  seems  to  have  been  practiced. 
Such  a  one  was  accidentally  discovered  not  many  years  since  in  Saint 
Catherine's  Island,  on  the  coast  of  Georgia.  Professor  Swallow  informs  me 
that  from  a  mound  at  New  Madrid,  Mo  ,  I  •htained  a  human  skull  inclosed 
in  an  earthen  jar,  the  lips  of  which  were  too  small  to  iidmit  of  its  extra<'- 
tion.     It  must  therefore  have  been  molded  on  the  h^ad  after  death." 

"A  similar  mode  of  burial  was  practiced  by  the  CI 'ddcans,  \v'  i-re  the 
funeral  jars  often  contain  a  human  cranium  much  too  expanded  to  admit  <»f 
the  possibility  of  its  passing  out  of  it,  so  that  either  the  clay  must  liav«-  b<  '*n 
modeled  over  the  corpse,  and  then  baked,  or  the  neck  of  the  jm-  must  have 
been  added  subsequently  to  the  other  rites  of  interment."! 

It  is  with  regret  that  the  writer  feels  obliged  to  differ  from  the  distin- 
guished author  of  the  work  quoted  regarding  urn-burial,  for  notvviti  island- 
ing that  it  has  been  employed  by  some  of  the  Central  ann  southern 
American  tribes,  it  is  not  believed  to  have  been  customary,  but  to  a  very 


M 

'ml 

m 


|?i 


•  Piv-HiHtoii(!  Kaicn,  1H7:),  p.  I'.KI. 

t  Rawlinsou's  Hinodotiis,  Hook  1,  tbap.  108,  iio'e. 


46 


UEN1HTEIAL. 


Ihirited  extent,  in  North  America,  except  as  a  secondary  interment.  He  must 
admit  that  he  himself  has  found  bones  in  urns  or  oUas  in  the  graves  of  New 
Jlexico  and  California,  but  under  circumstances  that  would  seem  to  indicate 
a  deposition  long  subsequent  to  death.  In  the  graves  of  the  ancient  peoples 
of  Cahfornia  a  number  of  ollas  were  found  in  long-used  burying  places,  and 
it  is  probable  that  as  the  bones  were  dug  up  time  and  again  for  new  burials 
they  were  simply  tossed  into  pots,  which  were  convenient  receptacles,  or 
it  may  have  been  that  bodies  were  allowed  to  repose  in  the  earth  long 
enough  for  the  fleshy  parts  to  deca)',  and  the  bones  were  then  collected, 
placed  in  urns,  and  reinterred.  Dr.  E.  Foreman,  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution, furnishes  the  following  account  of  urns  used  for  burial : 

"  I  would  call  your  attention  to  an  earthenware  burial-urn  and  cover, 
Nos.  271)76  and  27977,  National  Museum,  but  very  recently  received  from 
Mr.  William  McKinley,  of  Milledgeville,  Ga.  It  was  exhumed  on  his 
plantation,  ten  miles  below  that  city,  on  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Oconee 
River,  now  covered  with  almost  impassable  canebrakes,  tall  grasses,  and 
briers.  We  had  a  few  months  ago  from  the  same  source  one  of  the  covers, 
of  which  the  ornamentation  was  different  but  moi-e  entire.  A  portion  of  a 
similar  cover  has  been  received  also  from  Chattanooga,  Ga.  Mr.  McKinley 
ascribes  the  use  of  these  m-ns  and  covers  to  the  Muscogees,  a  branch  of 
the  Creek  Nation." 

These  urns  are  made  of  baked  clay,  and  are  shaped  somewhat  like 
the  ordinary  steatite  ollas  found  in  the  California  coast  graves,  but  the  bot- 
toms instead  of  being  round  run  down  to  a  sharp  apex  ;  on  the  top  was  a 
cover,  the  upper  part  of  which  also  terminated  in  an  apex,  and  around  the 
border,  near  where  it  rested  on  the  edge  of  the  vess<l,  are  indented  scroll 
ornamentations. 

The  burial-urns  of  New  Mexico  are  thus  described  by  E.  A.  Barber  :* 

"  Burial-urns  *  *  *  comprise  vessels  or  ollas  without  handles,  for 
cremation,  usually  being  from  10  to  15  inches  in  height,  with  broad,  open 
mouths,  and  made  of  coarse  clay,  with  a  laminated  exterior  (partially  or 
entirely  ornamented).  Frequently  the  indentations  extend  simj.ly  around 
the  neck  or  rim,  the  lower  portion  being  plain." 

'Amir.  Nntnrnl.,  1H7(>,  vol.  x,  p.  45.')  r.t  srq. 


a 


SUEFAOE  BURIAL. 


47 


So  far  as  is  known,  up  to  tho  present  time  no  bxirial-urns  have  been 

found  in  North  America  resembling  those  discovered  in  Nicaragua  by  Dr, 

J.  C.  Bransford,  U.  S.  N.,  but  it  is  quite  within  the  range  of  possibility  that 

future  researches  in  regions  not  far  distant  from  that  which  he  explored  may 

reveal  similar  treasures. 

SUllFACE  BURIAL. 

This  mode  of  intennent  was  practiced  to  only  a  limited  extent,  so  far  as 
can  be  discovered,  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  in  most  cases  it  was  employed 
as  a  temporary  expedient  when  the  survivors  were  pressed  for  time.  The 
Seminoles  of  Florida  are  said  to  have  buried  in  hollow  trees,  the  bodies 
being  placed  in  an  upright  position,  occasionally  the  dead  being  crammed 
into  a  hollow  log  lying  on  the  ground.  With  some  of  the  Eastern  tribes  a 
log  was  split  in  half  and  hollowed  out  sufficiently  large  to  contain  the 
corpse ;  it  was  then  lashed  together  with  withes  and  permitted  to  remain 
where  it  was  originally  placed.  In  some  cases  a  pen  was  built  over  and 
around  it.  This  statement  is  corroborated  by  Mr.  R.  S.  Robertson,  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.,  who  states  in  a  communication  received  in  1877  that  the 
Miamis  practiced  surface  burial  in  two  different  ways: 

"  *  *  *  lilt.  The  surface  burial  in  hollow  logs.  These  have  been 
found  in  heavy  forests.  Sometimes  a  tree  )ias  been  split  and  the  two  halves 
hollowed  out  to  receive  the  body,  when  it  was  either  closed  with  withes  or 
confined  to  the  ground  with  crossed  stakes ;  and  sometimes  a  hollow  tree  is 
used  by  closing  the  ends. 

"  2d.  Surface  burial  where  the  body  was  covered  by  a  small  pen  of 
logs  laid  up  as  we  build  a  cabin,  but  drawing  in  every  course  until  they 
meet  in  a  single  log  at  the  top." 

Romantically  conceived,  and  carried  out  to  the  fullest  possible  extent 
in  accordance  with  the  ante  mortem  wishes  of  the  dead,  were  the  obsequies 
of  Blackbird,  the  great  chief  of  the  Omahas.  The  account  is  given  by 
George  Catlin  :* 

"  He  requested  them  to  take  his  body  down  the  river  to  this  his  favor- 
ite haunt,  and  on  tho  pinnacle  of  this  towering  bluff  to  bury  him  on  the 
back  of  his  favorite  war-horse,  which  was  to  be  buried  alive  under  him, 


?! 


•Manners,  Customs,  &c.,ot'  North  American  Indians,  1844,  vol.  ii,  p. ,''.. 


48 


OAIKNBURIAL. 


from  wlience  he  could  see,  as  he  said,  '  the  Frenchmen  passing  up  and  down 
the  river  in  their  boats.'  He  owned,  amongst  many  horses,  a  noble  white 
steed,  that  was  led  to  the  top  of  the  grass-covered  hill,  and  with  great  pomp 
and  ceremony,  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  nation  and  several  of  the  fur- 
traders  and  the  Indian  agent,  ho  was  i)!aced  astride  of  his  horse's  back, 
with  his  bow  in  his  hand,  and  his  shield  and  quiver  slung,  with  his  pipe  and 
his  medicine  bag,  with  his  supply  of  dried  meat,  and  his  tobacco-pouch 
replenished  to  last  him  through  the  journey  to  the  beautiful  hunting  grounds 
of  the  shades  of  his  fathers,  witli  his  flint  and  steel  and  his  tinder  to  light 
his  pipes  by  the  way ;  the  scalps  he  had  taken  from  his  enemies'  heads  could 
be  trophies  for  nobody  else,  and  were  hung  to  the  bridle  of  his  horse.  He 
was  in  full  dress,  and  fully  equipped,  and  on  his  head  waved  to  the  last 
moment  his  beautiful  head-dress  of  the  war-eagles'  j)lumes.  In  this  plight, 
and  the  last  funeral  honors  having  Ix^en  perfoitned  by  the  medicine-men, 
every  warrior  of  his  band  painted  ihe  palm  and  lingers  of  his  right  hand 
with  vermilion,  which  was  stamped  and  perfectly  impressed  on  the  milk- 
white  sides  of  his  devoted  horse.  This  all  done,  turfs  were  brought  and 
placed  around  the  feet  and  legs  of  the  horae,  and  gradually  laid  up  t©  its 
sides,  and  at  last  over  die  back  and  head  of  the  unsuspecting  animal,  and 
last  of  all  over  the  head  and  even  the  eagle  ])lumes  of  its  valiant  rider, 
where  all  together  have  smouldered  and  remained  undisturbed  to  the  pres- 
ent day." 

CAIKN-BIJRIAL. 

The  next  mode  of  interment  to  be  considered  is  that  of  cairn  or  rock 
burial,  which  has  prevailed  and  is  still  conunon  to  a  considerable  extent 
among  the  tribes  living  in  tlie  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevadas. 

In  the  summer  of  1872  the  writer  visited  one  of  these  rock  cemeteries  in 
middle  Utah,  which  had  been  used  for  a  period  not  exceeding  fifteen  or 
twenty  years.  It  was  situated  at  the  bottom  of  a  rock  slide,  upon  the  side 
of  an  almost  inaccessible  mountain,  in  a  position  so  carefully  chosen  for 
concealment  that  it  would  have  been  almost  impossible  to  find  it  without  a 
guide.  Several  of  the  graves  were  opened  and  found  to  have  been  con- 
structed in  the  following  manner :  A  number  of  bowlders  had  been  removed 
from  the  bed  of  the  slide  until  a  sufficient  cavity  had  been  obtained ;  this 
was  lined  with  skins,  the  corpse  placed  therein,  with  weapons,  ornaments, 


ANTIQUITY  OF  CREMATION 


49 


etc.,  and  covered  over  with  saplings  of  the  mountain  aspen ;  on  top  of  these 
the  removed  bowlders  were  piled,  forming-  a  huge  cairn,  which  appeared 
large  enough  to  have  marked  the  last  resting  place  of  an  elephant.  In  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  graves  were  scattered  the  osseous  remains  of  a 
number  of  horses  which  had  been  sacrificed  no  doubt  during  the  funeral 
ceremonies.  In  one  of  the  graves,  said  to  contain  the  body  of  a  chief,  in 
addition  to  a  number  of  articles  useful  and  ornamental,  were  found  parts  of 
the  skeleton  of  a  boy,  and  tradition  states  that  a  captive  boy  was  buried 
alive  at  this  place. 

In  connection  with  this  mode  of  burial  it  may  be  said  that  the  ancient 
Balearic  Islanders  covered  their  dead  with  a  heap  of  stones,  but  this  cere- 
mony was  preceded  by  an  operation  which  consisted  in  cutting  the  body  in 
small  pieces  and  collecting  in  a  pot. 

CREMATION. 

Next  should  be  noted  this  mode  of  disposing  of  the  dead,  a  common 
custom  to  a  considerable  extent  among  North  American  tribes,  especially 
those  living  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Rock}-  Mountains,  although  we 
have  undoubted  evidence  that  it  was  also  practiced  among  the  more  eastern 
ones.  This  rite  may  be  considered  as  peculiarly  interesting  from  its  great 
antiquity,  for  Tegg  informs  us  that  it  reached  as  far  back  as  the  Theban 
war,  in  the  account  of  which  mention  is  made  of  the  burning  of  Mena3acus 
and  Archemorus,  who  were  contemi)orary  with  Jair,  eighth  judge  of  Israel. 
It  was  common  in  the  interior  of  Asia  and  among  the  ancient  Greeks  and 
Romans,  and  has  also  prevailed  among  the  Hindoos  up  to  the  present  time. 
Ill  fact,  it  is  now  rapidly  becoming  a  custom  among  civilized  i)eople. 

While  there  is  a  certain  degree  of  similarity  between  the  performance 
of  this  rite  among  the  peoples  spoken  of  and  the  Indians  of  North  America, 
yet,  did  space  admit,  a  discussion  might  profitably  be  entered  upon  regard- 
ing the  details  of  it  among  the  ancients  and  the  origin  of  the  ceremony.  As 
it  is,  simple  narrations  of  cremation  in  this  country,  with  discursive  notes 
and  an  account  of  its  origin  among  the  Nishinams  of  California,  by  Stephen 
Powers,*  seem  to  be  all  that  is  required  at  this  time : 


i'  3 


4  Y 


•  Cout.  to  N.  A.  Etbuol.,  1877,  vol.  iii,  p.  341. 


50 


CT?EMATTON  MYTHS. 


ii 


U  1 


"Tlio  moon  and  the  coyote  wrought  together  in  creating  all  things  that 
exist.  The  moon  was  good,  but  the  coyote  was  bad.  In  making  men  and 
women  tlio  moon  wished  to  so  fashion  their  souls  that  when  they  died  they 
sliould  return  to  the  earth  after  two  or  three  days,  as  he  himself  does  when 
he  dies.  But  the  coyote  was  evil  disposed,  and  said  this  should  not  bo, 
but  that  when  men  died  their  friends  should  burn  their  bodies,  and  once  a 
year  make  a  great  mourning  for  them ;  and  the  coyote  prevailed.  So, 
presently  when  a  deer  died,  they  burned  liis  body,  as  the  coyote  had  decreed, 
and  after  a  vear  they  niade  a  great  mourning  for  him.  But  the  moon  ere- 
ated  the  rattlesnake  and  caused  it  to  bite  the  coyote's  son,  so  that  he  died. 
Now,  though  the  coyote  had  been  willing  to  burn  the  deer's  relations,  he 
refused  to  burn  his  own  son.  Then  tlio  moon  said  unto  him,  '  This  is  vour 
own  rule.  You  would  have  it  so,  and  now  your  son  shall  be  burned  like 
the  others.'  So  he  was  burned,  and  after  a  year  the  coyote  niotirned  for 
him.  Thus  the  law  was  established  over  the  coyote  also,  and,  as  ho  had 
dominion  over  men,  it  prevailed  over  men  likewise. 

"This  story  is  utterly  worthless  for  itself,  but  it  has  its  value  in  that  it 
shows  there  was  a  time  when  the  California  Indians  did  not  practice  crema- 
tion, which  is  also  established  by  other  traditions.  It  hints  at  the  additional 
fact  that  the  Xishinams  to  this  day  set  great  store  by  the  moon  ;  consider  it 
their  benefactor  in  a  hundred  ways,  and  observe  its  changes  for  a  hundred 
purposes." 

Another  myth  regarding  cremation  is  given  by  Adam  Johnston,  in 
Schoolcraft,*  and  relates  to  the  Bonaks,  or  root-diffcers : 

"The  first  Indians  that  lived  were  coyotes.  When  one  of  their  number 
died  the  body  became  full  of  little  animals  or  spirits,  as  they  thought  them. 
After  crawling  over  the  body  for  a  time  they  took  all  manner  of  shapes, 
some  that  of  the  deer,  others  the  elk,  antelope,  etc.  It  was  discovered, 
however,  that  great  numbers  were  taking  wings,  and  for  a  while  they  sailed 
about  in  the  air,  but  eventually  they  wonld  fly  off  to  the  moon  The  old 
coyotes  or  Indians,  fearing  the  earth  might  become  depopulated  in  this  way, 
conchided  to  stop  it  at  once,  and  ordered  that  when  one  of  their  people  died 

'Hist.  Indian  trilics  of  tli«  Unitfrt  States,  1854,  part  IV,  ji.  224. 


ti'-'i 


CREMATION— OKEOOl^. 


51 


tho  body  must  bo  burnt.     Ever  after  they  continued  to  burn  the  bodies  of 
deceased  persons  " 

Ross  Cox*  gives  an  account  of  tlie  process  as  performed  by  the  Tol- 
kotins  of  Oresfon : 

"  The  ceremonies  attending  the  dead  are  very  singular,  and  (pilte  pecu- 
liar to  this  tribe.  The  body  of  the  deceased  is  kei)t  nine  days  laid  out  in 
his  lodge,  and  on  the  tenth  it  is  buried.  For  this  purpose  a  rising  ground 
is  selected,  on  which  are  laid  a  number  of  sticks,  about  seven  feet  lon<r,  of 
cypress,  neatly  split,  and  in  the  interstices  is  placed  a  quantity  of  gummy 
wood.  During  these  operations  invitations  are  dis[)atched  to  the  natives  of 
the  neighboring  villages  requesting  their  attendance  at  the  ceremony. 
When  the  preparations  are  perfected  the  corpse  is  i)laced  on  the  \nh,  which 
is  inmiediately  ignited,  and  during  the  process  of  burning,  the  bystanders 
appear  to  be  in  a  high  state  of  merriment.  If  a  stranger  happen  to  be  pres- 
est  they  invariably  plunder  him  ;  but  if  that  pleasure  be  denied  them,  tliey 
never  separate  without  quarreling  among  themselves.  Whatevei-  property 
the  deceased  possessed  is  placed  about  the  corpse ;  and  if  he  happened  to 
be  a  person  of  consequence,  his  friends  generally  purchase  a  capote,  a  shirt, 
a  pair  of  trousers,  etc.,  which  articles  are  also  laid  around  the  pile.  If  the 
doctor  who  attended  him  has  escaped  uninjured,  he  is  obliged  to  be  present 
at  the  ceremony,  and  for  the  last  time  tries  his  skill  in  restoring  the  defunct 
to  animation.  Failing  in  this,  he  throws  on  the  body  a  piece  of  leather,  or 
some  other  article,  as  a  present,  which  in  some  measure  appeases  the  resent- 
ment of  his  relatives,  and  preserves  the  unfortnnate  quack  from  being  mal- 
treated. During  the  nine  days  the  corpse  is  laid  out  the  widc»w  of  the' 
deceased  is  obliged  to  sleep  along  side  it  from  simset  to  sunrise  ;  and  from 
this  custom  there  is  no  relaxation  even  during  the  hottest  days  of  sum- 
mer !  While  the  doctor  is  performing  his  last  operations  she  must  lie  on 
the  pile,  and  after  the  fire  is  applied  to  it  she  cannot  stir  luitil  the  doctor 
orders  her  to  be  removed,  which,  however,  is  never  done  until  her  body  is 
completely  covered  with  blisters.  After  being  placed  on  her  legs,  she  is 
obliged  to  pass  her  hands  gently  through  the  flame  and  collect  some  of  the 
liquid  fat  which  issues  from  the  corpse,  with  which  she  is  permitted  to  wet 

•Adventures  on  the  Columbia  River,  1831,  vol.  ii,  p.  HS?. 


52 


CREMATION— OREGOK. 


f' 


IF 


1 


her  face  and  body!  When  the  friends  of  the  deceased  observe  the  sinews 
of  the  legs  and  arms  beginning  to  contract  they  (lonijjel  the  nnfortiinate 
widow  to  go  again  on  the  pile,  and  by  dint  of  hard  pressing  to  straighten 
those  members. 

"  If  dm-ing  her  husband's  lifetime  she  has  been  known  to  have  com- 
mitted any  act  of  infidelity  or  omitted  administering  to  him  savory  food  or 
neglected  his  clothing,  &c.,  she  is  now  made  to  suffer  severely  for  such 
lapses  of  duty  by  his  relations,  who  frequently  fling  her  in  the  funeral  pile, 
from  which  she  is  dragged  by  her  friends ;  and  thus  between  alternate 
scorching  and  cooling  she  is  dragged  backwards  and  forwards  until  she  falls 
into  a  state  of  insensibility. 

"After  the  process  of  burning  the  corpse  has  terminated,  the  widow 
collects  the  larger  bones,  which  she  rolls  up  in  an  envelope  of  birch  bark, 
and  which  she  is  obliged  for  some  years  afterwards  to  carry  on  Iku*  back. 
She  is  now  considered  and  treated  as  a  slave;  all  the  laborious  duties  of 
cooking,  collecting  fuel,  etc.,  devolve  on  her.  She  must  obey  the  orders  of 
all  the  women,  and  even  of  the  rliildren  belonging  to  the  village,  and  the 
slightest  mistake  or  diso1)i'dience  subjects  her  to  the  infliction  of  a  heavy 
punishment.  The  a.shes  of  her  husband  are  carefully  collected  and  deposited 
in  a  grave,  which  it  is  her  duty  to  keep  free  from  weeds ;  and  should  any 
such  appear,  she  is  obliged  to  root  them  out  with  har  fingers.  During  this 
operation  her  husband's  relatives  stand  by  and  beat  her  in  a  cruel  manner 
until  the  task  is  com))leted  or  slie  falls  a  victim  to  their  brutality.  The 
wretched  widows,  to  avoid  this  complicated  cruelty,  frequently  commit 
suicide.  Should  she,  liowever,  linger  on  for  three  or  four  years,  the  friends 
of  her  husband  agrtje  to  relieve  her  from  her  painful  moiu-ning.  This  is  a 
ceremony  of  much  conserpience,  and  the  prei)arations  for  it  occupy  a  con- 
siderable time,  generally  from  six  to  eight  months.  The  hunters  proceed  to 
the  various  districts  in  which  deer  and  beaver  abound,  and  after  collecting 
large  (piantities  of  meat  and  fur  return  to  the  village  The  skins  are  im- 
mediafely  bartered  for  guns,  annnunition,  clothing,  trinkets,  «&c.  Invifa- 
tions  are  then  sent  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  various  friendly  villages,  and 
when  they  have  all  assembled  the  feast  conunences,  and  [)resents  are  dis 
tributed  to  each  visitor.     The  object  of  their  meeting  is  then  explained,  and 


VKUIPICATION  OF  DEATII-CAUAIItS. 


58 


Iho  woman  is  broiifrht  forward,  still  carryiiitr  on  lier  l);ick  tho  hones  of  lier 
luto  Imsbiuul,  wliich  sm*  now  roniovcd  junl  placed  in  a  covfrtnl  box,  wliich 
is  nailed  or  otherwise  iastened  to  a  post  twelve  feet  high.  Iler  eondiict  as 
a  faithful  widow  is  next  hi<,'hly  eulojxi/.cd,  and  the  ceremony  of  her  mami- 
mission  is  completed  by  one  man  powdenn<<-  on  her  head  the  down  of  birds 
and  another  pouring-  on  it  the  contents  of  a  bladder  of  oil !  She  is  then  at 
liberty  to  marry  again  or  lead  a  life  of  single  blessedness;  but  few  of  them,  I 
believe,  wish  to  encounter  the  risk  attending  a  second  widowhood. 

"Tho  men  are  condemned  to  a  similar  ordeal,  but  thev  do  not  bear 
it  with  equal  fortitude,  and  munbers  fly  to  distant  quarters  to  av(»id  tho 
brutal  treatment  which  custom  has  established  as  a  kind  of  religious  rite." 

Perhaps  a  short  review  of  some  of  the  pecidiar  and  salieru  points  of 
tliis  narrative  may  be  permitted.  It  is  stated  that  the  corpse  is  kept  nine 
days  after  death — certainly  a  long  period  of  time,  when  it  is  reinenibered 
that  Indians  as  a  rule  endeavor  to  dispose  of  their  dead  as  soon  as  ])ossible. 
This  may  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  that  it  is  to  give  the  friends 
and  relatives  an  opportunity  of  assembling,  verifying  the  death,  and  of  mak- 
ing proper  preparations  for  the  ceremony.  With  regard  to  the  verification 
of  the  dead  person,  William  Sheldon*  gives  an  account  of  a  similar  custom 
which  was  common  among  the  Caraibs  of  Jamaica,  and  which  seems  to 
throw  some  light  npon  the  unusual  retention  of  deceased  persons  by  tho 
tribe  in  question,  although  it  must  be  admitted  that  this  is  mere  hypothesis: 

"  They  had  some  very  extraordinary  customs  respecting  deceased  per- 
sons. When  one  of  them  died,  it  was  necessary  that  all  his  relations  should 
see  him  and  examine  the  body  in  order  to  ascertain  that  he  died  a  natural 
death.  They  acted  so  rigidly  on  this  principle,  that  if  one  relative  remained 
who  had  not  seen  the  body  all  the  others  could  not  convince  that  one  that 
the  death  was  natural.  In  such  a  case  the  absent  relative  considered  him- 
self as  bound  in  honor  to  consider  all  the  other  relatives  as  having  been 
accessories  to  the  death  of  tho  kinsman,  and  did  not  rest  until  he  had  killed 
one  of  them  to  revenge  the  death  of  the  deceas(Ml.  If  a  Caraib  died  in 
Martinico  or  Guadaloupe  and  his  relations  lived  in  St.  Vincents,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  summon  them  to  see  the  body,  and   several   montlis  sometimes 

•Trans.  Aui.  Auliq.  Soc,  1»M,  vol.  1,  p.  377. 


^•' 


k 


54 


RRMAItKH  ON  CURMATIOX. 


«'lii|»s(.'(l  lt(!fun!  it  coiiltl  1)0  liimlly  Interred.  When  a  Carail)  died  he  wuh 
iiiniicdi.itely  painted  all  over  with  roiicuii,  and  liad  his  nnistaehioH  and  tho 
black  stroak.H  in  his  fiiee  made  with  a  black  paint,  which  wan  dlHerent  fruni 
that  UHod  in  their  lifetime.  A  kind  of  <,mive  was  then  du<r  in  the  cnrhii 
where  ho  died,  about  4  feet  sipniro  and  G  or  7  feet  deep.  The  body  was 
let  (l(»wn  ill  it,  when  sand  was  thrown  in,  which  reached  to  tho  knees,  and 
the  body  was  placed  in  it  in  a  sitting'  [)osture,  resembling  that  in  which  they 
crouched  round  the  tiro  or  tho  table  when  alive,  with  tho  elbows  on  tho 
knees  and  the  jiahnsof  the  hands  iififainst  tho  cheeks.  No  part  of  the  body 
tonched  the  outside  of  the  jjirave,  which  was  covered  with  wood  and  mats 
until  all  the  relations  had  examined  it.  When  tho  customary  e.xaniinations 
and  inspccticnis  were  ended  the  hole  was  filled,  and  tho  bodies  afterwards 
remained  undisturbed.  The  hair  of  tho  deceased  was  kept  tied  behind. 
In  this  way  bodies  have  reniained  several  months  without  any  synjptoms 
of  decay  or  ])rodu(;iug'  any  disagreeable  smell.  The  roiicou  not  only  pre- 
served them  from  the  sun,  air,  and  insects  during  their  lifetime,  but  prob- 
ably had  the  same  etl'ect  after  death.  Tho  arms  of  tho  Caraibs  were  placed 
by  them  when  they  woi'o  covered  over  for  inspection,  and  they  were  firuilly 
buried  with  them." 

Again,  >ve  are  told  that  during  the  burning  the  by-standers  are  very 
merry.  This  hilarity  is  similar  to  that  shown  by  tho  Japanese  at  a  funeral, 
who  rejoice  that  the  troubles  and  worries  of  the  world  are  over  for  the  for- 
tunate dead.  The  i)lundering  of  strangers  present,  it  nuiy  be  remembered, 
also  took  place  among  the  Indians  of  the  Carolinas.  As  already  mentioned 
on  a  preceding  page,  the  cruel  manner  in  which  tho  widow  is  treated  seems 
to  be  a  modilication  of  tho  Hindoo  suttee,  but  if  the  account  be  true,  it 
would  appear  that  death  might  be  preferable  to  such  torments. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  Corsica,  as  late  as  1743,  if  a  husband 
died  women  threw  themselves  upon  the  widow  and  beat  her  severely. 
Bruhier  quaintly  remarks  that  this  custom  obliged  women  to  take  good  euro 
of  their  husbands. 

George  Gibbs,  in  S(!hoolcraft,*  states  that  among  the  Indians  of  Clear 


'  Hist.  ludiiin  Tribes  of  tbo  United  States,  1«J3,  part  iii,  p.  112. 


CltKMATlOiN— CALIFUUNIA. 


55 


Lake,  California,  "tho  body  i  ■  consumed  upon  a  Hcallbld  built  ovor  a  hole, 
into  which  tlio  ashos  arc  thrown  and  covered." 

According  to  Stephen    l\,wers,*  crenmtion  was  common  among  tho 
8e-nel  of  (!alilornia.      He  thus  nl.ites  it: 

"  The  dead  are  mostly  burne.l.     Mr.  Willard  described  to  mo  a  scono 
of  incremation  that  he  once  witnessed  which  was  rn-htful  for  its  exhibitions 
of  fanatic  frenzy  and  infatuation.     The  cor))se  was  that  of  a  weaUhy  chief- 
tain, and  as  he  lay  upon  the  funeral  pyre  they  placed  in  hism(mthtw(.  -('Id 
twenties,  and  other  smaller  coins  in  his  ears  and  hands,  on  his  breast,  &c., 
besides  all  his  finery,  his  feather  numtles,  plumes,  clothiufr,  shell  money, 
his  fancy  bows,  painted  arrows,  &c.     When  the  torch  was  apidied  they  set 
up  a  mournful  ululation,  (chanting  and  dancing'  about  him,  gradually  work- 
ing themselves  into  a  wild  and  ecstatic  raving,  which  seemed  almost  a 
demoni.ical    possession,    leaping,   howling,    lacerating  their  flesh      Many 
seemed  to  lose  all  self-control.      The  younger  English-speaking  Indians 
generally  lend  themselves  charily  to  such  superstitiiuis  work,  esitecially  if 
American  spectators  are  present,  but  even  they  were  carried  away  by  tho 
old  contagious  frenzy  of  their  race.     One  stripped  off  a  broachdoth  coat, 
quite  new  and  fine,  and  ran  frantically  yelling  and  cast  it  upon  the  blazing 
l)ilo.     Another  rushed  uj)  and  was  almut  to  throw  on  a  pile  of  California 
blankets,  when  a  white  man,  to  test  his  sincerity,  offered  him  810  for  them, 
jingling  tho  bright  coins  before  his  eyes,  but  the  savage  (for  such  ho  had 
become  again  for  the  moment),  otherwise  so  avaricious,  hurled  him  away 
with  a  yell  of  execration  and  ran  and  threw  his  oflfering  into  the  flames. 
Squaws,  oven  more  frenzied,  wildly  Hung  upon  the  pyre  all  they  had  in 
tho  world — their  dearest  ornaments,  their  gaudiest  dresses,  their  strings  of 
glittering   shells.     Screaming,   wailing,  tearing   their    hair,  beating    their 
breasts  in  tlrcir  mad  and  insensate  infatuation,  some  of  them  would  have 
cast  themselves  bodily  into  the  flaming  ruins  and  j)erished  with  the  chief 
had  they  not  been  restrained  by  their  conqjanions.     Then  the  bright,  swift 
flames  Avith  their  hot  tongues  licked  this  'cold  obstruction'  into  chemic 
change,  and  tho  once  'delighted  spirit'  of  the  savage  was  borne  n\).  *  *  * 

"  It  seems  as  if  the  savage   shared  in  Shakspeare's  shudder  at  tho 

'Coutiib.  loN.  A.  Ethuol.,  l«77,  vol.  iii,  ji.  IC'J. 


I 


.:] 


H   V 


m 


56 


CREMATION— CALIFOKN  lA. 


•f' 


tlionglit  of  rotting  in  tlie  dismal  grave,  for  it  is  tlio  one  passion  of  his  super- 
stition to  think  of  the  soul  of  liis  departed  friend  set  free  and  puriliod  by 
the  swift  ])urging  heat  of  the  iiames,  not  dragged  down  to  be  chigged  and 
bound  in  the  moldering  body,  but  borne  up  in  the  soft,  warm  chariots  of  the 
smoke  toward  the  beautiful  sun,  to  bask  in  his  warmth  and  light,  and  tlien 
to  fly  away  to  the  Happy  Western  Land.  What  wonder  if  the  Indian 
shrinks  with  unspeakable  horror  from  the  thought  of  hurji'mg  his  fn€nd\i 
soul! — of  pressing  and  riiirmiing  dovin  Avitii  pitiless  clods  that  inner  some- 
thing Avhich  once  took  such  deliglit  in  the  sweet  light  of  the  sun  !  What 
wonder  if  it  takes  years  to  persuade  him  to  do  otherwise  and  follow  our  cus- 
tom! What  wonder  if  even  then  ho  does  it  with  sad  fears  and  misffivincrs! 
Why  not  let  him  keep  his  custom  !  In  the  gorgeous  landscapes  and  balmy 
climate  of  California  and  India  incremation  is  as  natural  to  the  savage  as  it 
is  for  him  to  love  the  beauty  of  the  sun.  Let  the  vile  Esquimaux  and  the 
frozen  Siberian  bury  their  dead  if  they  will;  it  matters  little,  the  earth  is  the 
same  above  as  below;  or  to  them  the  bosom  of  the  c'lrth  may  seem  even  the 
better ;  but  in  California  do  not  bhune  the  savage  if  ho  recoils  at  the  thousrht 
of  going  under  ground  !  This  soft,  pale  halo  of  the  lilac  hills — ah,  let  him 
console  himself  if  he  will  with  the  belief  that  his  lost  friend  enjoys  it  still! 
The  narrator  concluded  by  saying  that  they  destroyed  full  8500  worth  of 
property.  '  The  blankets,'  said  he  with  a  fine  Californiau  scorn  of  such 
absurd  insensibility  to  a  good  bargain,  '  the  blankets  that  the  American 
offered  him  -SlG  for  were  not  worth  half  the  money.' 

"After  death  the  8e-ncl  hold  that  bad  Indians  return  into  coyotes. 
Othe?-s  fall  off  a  bi  Ige  which  all  souls  must  traverse,  or  are  hooked  off  by  a 
raging  bull  at  the  fiulher  end,  while  the  good  escape  across.  Like  the 
Yokaia  and  the  Konkan,  they  believe  it  necessary  to  nourish  the  spirits  of 
the  departed  for  the  space  of  a  year.  This  is  generally  done  by  a  squaw, 
who  takes  piuole  in  her  blanket,  repairs  to  the  scene  of  the  incremation,  or 
to  places  halloweci  oy  the  memory  of  the  dead,  where  she  scatters  it  over 
the  ground,  meantime  rocking  her  body  violently  to  and  fro  in  a  danco 
and  chanting  the  following  chorus: 

ILl-lil-li-ly, 

lll'l-lcl-Io, 

lUl-l.l-lii. 


CREMATION— i<:.ORlDA. 


57 


ti'\ 


This  rofn 


words 


is  repeated  over  and  over  indefinitely,  but 
have  no  meaning  whatever." 

Mr.  Henry  Gillman*  has  published  an  interesting  account  of  the  explo- 
ration of  a  mound  near  Waldo,  Fla.,  in  which  he  found  abundant  evidence 
that  cremation  had  existed  among  the  former  Indian  population.  It  is  as 
follows : 

"  In  opening  a  burial-mound  at  Cade's  Pond,  a  small  body  of  water  sit- 
uated about  two  miles  mirtheastward  of  Santa  Fc  Lake,  Florida,  the  writer 
found  two  instances  of  cremation,  in  each  of  which  the  skull  of  the  subject, 
which  was  unconsumed,  was  used  as  the  depository  of  his  ashes.     The  mound 
contained  besides  a  large  luindjer  of  human  burials,  the  bones  being  much 
decayed.     With  them  were  deposited  a  great  number  of  vessels  of  pottery, 
many  of  which  are  painted  in  brilliant  colors,  chiefly  red,  yellow,  and  brown, 
and  some  of  them  ornamented  with  indented  patterns,  displaying  not  a  little 
skill  in  the  ceramic  art,  though  they  are  reduced  to  fragments.    The  first  of 
the  skulls  referred  to  was  e\humed  at  a  depth  of  2i  feet    It  rested  on  its  apex 
(base  uppermost),  and  was  filh^.  with  fragments  of  half  incinerated  human 
bones,  mingled  with  dark-colored  dust,  and  the  sand  which  invuriabl}-  sifts 
into  crania  under  such  circumstances.     Innuediately  beneath  the  skull  lay 
the  greater  part  of  a  human  tibi  i,   presenting  the  peculiar  compression 
known  as  a  platycnemism  to  the  iegree  of  afi'ording  a  latitudinal  index  of 
.512  ;  while  beneatli  and  surrounding  it  lay  the  fragments  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  human  bones,  probably  constituting  an  entire  individual.     In  the 
second  instance  of  this  peculiar  mode  in  crenuition,  the  cranium  was  dis- 
covered on  nearly  the  opposite  side  of  the  mound,  at  a  depth  of  2  feet,  and, 
like  the  former,  resting  on  its  aj)ex.     It  was  filled  with  a  black  mass — the 
residuum  of  bur.  ^,  human  bones  mingled  with  sand.     At  three  feet  to  the 
eastward  lay  the  shaft  of  a  flattened  tibia,  which  presents  the   longitudinal 
index  of  .527.     Both  the  skulls  were  free  from  all  action  of  fire,  and  though 
subsequently  crund)ling  to  pieces  tm  their  removal,  the  writer  had  opportunity 
to  observe  their  strong  resend)lance  to  the  small  orthocephalic  crania  which 
ho  had  exhumed  from  mounds  in  Mu;liigan.     The  same  resendilauce  was 
perceptible  in  the  other  cronia  belonging  to  this  mound.     The  small,  nar- 

*Aii»n'.  Niituml.    Nini'iubLT,  18JS,  p.  75;t. 


if      I 


!     .-. 


i 


i   '  ^s\ 


58 


CREMATION  F UltNACE. 


row,  retreating  frontal,  prominent  i)arietal  protuberances,  rather  protuber- 
ant occipital,  which  was  not  in  the  least  compressed,  the  well-defined 
siipraciliary  ridges,  and  the  superior  border  of  the  orbits,  presenting  a  (juad- 
rilateral  outline,  were  also  particularly  noticed.  The  lower  facial  bones, 
iucludhig  the  maxillaries,  were  wanting.  On  consulting  such  works  as  arc 
accessible  to  him,  the  writer  finds  no  mention  of  any  similar  relics  having 
been  discovered  in  mounds  in  Florida  or  elsewhere.  For  further  particu- 
lars reference  may  be  had  to  a  paper  on  the  subject  read  before  the  ISaint 
Louis  meeting  of  the  American  Association,  Aagust,  1878." 

The  discoveries  made  by  Mr.  Gillinnn  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
l)eople  whose  bones  he  excavated  resorted  to  a  process  of  partial  crema- 
tion, some  examples  of  which  will  be  given  on  another  page.  The  use  of 
crania  as  rece])tacles  is  certainly  remarkable,  if  not  unique. 

The  fact  is  well  known  to  archanilogists  that  whenever  cremation  was 
practiced  by  Indians  it  was  customary  as  a  rule  to  throw  into  the  blazing 
pyre  all  sorts  of  articles  supi)0sed  to  be  useful  to  the  dead,  but  no  instance 
is  known  of  such  a  wholesale  destruction  of  })roperty  as  occuiTed  when  the 
Indians  of  southern  Utah  burned  their  dead,  for  Dr  E.  Foreman  relates,  in 
the  American  Naturalist  for  July,  18?<J,  the  account  of  the  exploration  of 
a  mound  in  that  Territory,  which  jiroved  that  at  the  death  of  a  person  not 
only  were  tue  remains  destro}ed  by  fire,  but  all  articles  of  personal  prop- 
erty, even  the  very  habitation  which  had  served  as  a  home.  After  the  })ro- 
cess  was  completed,  what  remained  unburued  was  covered  with  earth  and 
a  mound  formed. 

A.  S.  Tifi'any*  describes  what  he  calls  a  cremation-furnace,  discovered 
within  seven  miles  of  Davenport.  Iowa : 

"*  *  ■"  Mound  seven  miles  below  the  city,  a  projecting  point  known 
as  Eagle  Point.  The  surface  was  of  the  usual  black  soil  to  the  depth  of  from 
G  to  8  inches.  Next  was  found  a  burnt  indurated  day,  resembling  in  color 
aiul  texture  a  medium-burned  brick,  and  about  30  inches  in  depth.  Immedi- 
ately beneath  this  clay  was  a  bed  of  charred  human  renuiins  6  to  18  inches 
thick.  This  rested  upon  the  unchanged  and  undisturbed  loess  of  the  bluffs, 
which  formed  the  floor  of  the  pit.     Imbedded  in  this  floor  of  unburned  clay 

■  I'loc.  Dikv.  Auail.  ^i^t.  .Sti.,  lfj«/-7(),  {i.  lit. 


PARTIAL  CliEMATION. 


59 


wore  a  few  very  much  deconipoHCLl,  but  unburued,  human  bones.  No  imple- 
ments of  any  kind  were  discovered.  The  furnace  appears  to  have  been  con- 
structed by  excavating  the  pit  and  pluclnj!:  at  the  l)ottom  of  it  the  bodies  or 
skeletons  which  had  possibly  been  collected  from  scaffolds,  and  placing  the 
fuel  among  and  above  the  bodies,  with  a  covering  of  poles  or  split  timbers 
extending  over  and  resting  upon  the  earth,  with  the  clay  covering  above, 
which  latter  we  now  find  resting  u^jon  the  charred  remains.  The  ends  of  the 
timber  covering,  where  they  were  protected  by  the  earth  above  and  below, 
were  reduced  to  charcoal,  parallel  piecesof  which  were  found  at  rigl it  angles 
to  the  length  of  the  mound.  No  charcoal  was  found  among  or  near  the 
remains,  the  combustion  there  having  been  complete.  The  porous  and  softer 
portions  of  the  bones  were  reduced  to  pulverized  bone-black.  Mr.  Stevens 
also  examined  the  furnace.  The  mound  had  jirobably  not  been  opened 
after  the  burning." 

This  account  is  doubtless  true,  but  the  inferences  may  be  incorn^ct. 

Many  more  accounts  of  cremation  among  different  tribes  might  be 
given  to  show  how  prevalent  was  the  custom,  but  the  above  are  thought  to 
be  sufHciently  distinctive  to  serve  as  examples. 

PAltTIAL  CREMATION. 

Allied  somewhat  to  cremation  is  a  peculiar  mode  of  burial  which  is 
supposed  to  have  taken  place  among  the  Cherokees  or  some  other  tribe  of 
North  Carolina,  and  which  is  thus  described  by  J.  W.  Foster:* 

"  Up  to  1819  the  Cherokees  held  possession  of  this  region,  when,  in 
pursuance  of  a  treaty,  they  vacated  a  portion  of  the  lands  lying  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Little  Tennessee  River.  In  1821  Mr.  McDowell  connnenced 
fanning.  During  the  first  season's  operations  the  plowshare,  in  i)assing 
over  a  certain  ^lortion  of  a  field,  produced  a  hollow  rumbling  sound,  and  in 
exploring  for  the  cause  the  first  object  met  with  was  a  shallow  layer  of  char- 
coal, beneath  which  was  a  slab  of  burnt  clay  about  7  feet  in  length  and  4 
feet  broad,  which,  in  the  attempt  to  remove,  broke  into  several  fragments. 
Nothing  beneath  this  slal)  was  found,  but  on  exnmining  its  under  side,  to 
his  great  surprise  there  was  the  mould  of  a  naked  human  figure.     Three  t»f 

*  Piti-Ijintoi ii  liutts,  187;i,  11.  14U. 


'i '  li 


■*«-  4m 


'I  Mi/ 


CO 


PAKTIAL  CREMATION. 


m 


these  burned-clay  sepulchcrs  wore  thus  raised  and  examined  during  the  first 
year  of  his  occupancy,  since  which  time  none  have  been  found  until 
recently.  *  *  *  During  the  past  season  (1872)  the  plow  brought  up 
another  fragment  of  one  of  these  moulds,  revealing  the  impress  of  a  plump 
human  arm. 

"Col.  C.  W.  Jenkes,  the  superintendent  of  the  Corundum  mines,  which 
have  recently  been  opened  in  that  vicinity,  advises  mo  thus : 

"'We  have  Indians  all  about  us,  with  traditions  extending  back  for  500 
years.  In  this  time  thoy  have  buried  tlioir  dead  under  huge  piles  of  stones. 
We  have  at  one  point  the  remains  of  (JOO  Avarriors  under  one  pile,  but  a 
grave  has  just  been  opened  of  the  following  construction:  A  pit  was  dug, 
into  which  the  coi-pse  was  placed,  face  upward ;  then  over  it  was  moulded  a 
covering  of  mortar,  fitting  the  foim  and  features.  On  this  was  built  a  hot 
fire,  which  formed  an  entire  shield  of  ])otter3^  for  the  corpse.  The  breaking 
up  of  one  such  tomb  gives  a  perfect  cast  of  the  form  of  the  occupiint.' 

"Colonel  Jenkes,  fully  impressed  widi  the  value  of  these  archaeological 
discoveries,  detailed  a  man  to  superintend  the  exhumation,  who  proceeded 
to  remove  the  earth  from  the  mould,  which  he  reached  through  a  layer  of 
charcoal,  and  tlien  with  a  trowel  excavated  beneath  it.  The  clay  was  not 
tliorouglily  baked,  and  no  impression  of  tlie  corpse  was  left,  except  of  the 
forehead  and  that  portion  of  the  limljs  between  the  ankles  and  the  knees, 
and  even  these  portions  of  the  mould  crumbled.  The  body  had  been  placed 
east  and  west,  the  head  toward  the  east  'I  had  hoped,'  continues  Mr. 
McD(^woll,  'that  the  cast  in  the  clay  would  be  as  perfect  as  one  I  found  51 
years  ago,  a  fragment  of  which  I  presented  to  Colonel  Jenkes,  with  the  im- 
l)ression  of  a  jiart  of  the  arm  on  one  side  and  on  the  other  of  the  fingers, 
that  had  pressed  down  the  soft  clay  upon  the  body  interred  beneath.'  The 
mound-builders  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  as  has  been  shown,  often  placed  a  la)'er 
of  clay  over  the  dead,  but  not  in  inmiediato  contact,  upon  which  they 
builded  fires ;  and  the  exidence  that  cremation  was  often  resorted  to  in  their 
disposition  are  too  abundant  to  be  gainsaid." 

This  stiitement  is  corroborated  by  j\Ir.  Wilcox:* 
''  ^i'"-  Wilcox  also  stated  that  when  recentl}-  in  North  Carolina  his  atten- 

•I'liM-.  A<;nl.  N.'ii.  Sri.  riiila.,N()v.  Ih7t,  ji.  KiS. 


BURIAL  AND  CREMATION— CALIFORNIA. 


61 


tion  was  cnlled  to  an  unusual  method  of  burial  by  an  ancient  race  of  Indians 
in  that  vicinity.  In  numerous  instances  burial  places  were  discovered 
whore  the  bodies  had  been  placed  with  the  face  up  and  covered  with  a  coat- 
injr  of  plastic  clay  about  an  inch  thick.  A  ])ile  of  wood  was  then  placed 
on  top  and  fired,  which  consumed  the  body  and  baked  the  claj^,  which 
letained  the  impression  of  the  body.  This  was  then  lightly  covered  with 
earth." 

It  is  thouj^ht  no  doubt  can  attach  to  the  statements  given,  but  the  cases 
are  remarkable  as  being  the  only  instances  of  the  kind  met  with  in  the 
extensive  range  of  reading  preparatory  to  a  study  of  the  subject  of  burial, 
although  it  must  be  observed  that  Bruhier  states  that  the  ancient  Ethioj)ians 
covered  the  corpses  of  their  dead  with  plaster  (probably  mud),  but  they 
did  not  burn  these  curious  coffins. 

Another  method,  embracing  both  burial  and  cremation,  has  been  prac- 
ticed by  the  Pitt  River  or  Acliomawi  Indians  of  California,  who  "bury  the 
body  in  the  ground  in  a  standing  position,  the  shoulders  nearly  even  with 
the  ground.  The  grave  is  prepared  by  digging  a  hole  of  sufficient  depth 
and  circumference  to  admit  the  body,  the  head  being  cut  off.  In  the  grave 
are  placed  the  bows  and  arrows,  bead-work,  trappings,  &c.,  belonging  to 
the  deceased ;  quantities  of  food,  consisting  of  dried  fish,  roots,  herbs,  &c., 
were  placed  with  the  body  also.  The  grave  was  then  filled  up,  covering 
the  headless  body ;  then  a  bundle  of  fagots  was  brought  and  placed  on 
the  grave  by  the  different  meml)ers  of  the  tribe,  and  on  these  fagots  the 
head  was  placed,  the  pile  fired,  and  the  head  consumed  to  ashes ;  after  this 
was  done,  the  female  relatives  of  the  deceased,  who  had  appeared  as  mourn- 
ers with  their  faces  blackened  with  a  i)reparation  resembling  tar  or  paint, 
dipped  their  fingers  in  the  ashes  of  the  cremated  head  and  made  three  marks 
on  their  right  check.  This  constituted  the  mourning  garb,  the  period  of 
which  lasted  until  this  black  substance  wore  off"  from  the  face.  In  addition 
to  this  mourning,  the  blood  female  relatives  of  the  deceased  (who,  by  the 
way,  appeared  to  be  a  man  of  distinction)  had  their  hair  cropped  short  I 
noticed  while  the  head  was  burning  that  the  old  women  of  the  tribe  sat  on 
the  ground,  forming  a  large  circle,  inside  of  which  another  circle  of  young 
girls  were  formed  standing  and  swaying  their  bodies  to  and  fro  and  singing 


■''f 


it. 


62 


BURIAL  AND  CREMATION— NEW  JERSEY. 


ll 


ill 


!:'■, 


•:| 


a  mounifiil  ditty.  This  was  tlio  only  burial  of  a  male  that  I  witnessed. 
1'iie  custom  of  burying  females  is  very  different,  their  bodies  being-  wrapped 
or  bundled  up  in  skins  and  laid  away  in  caves,  with  their  valuables,  and  in 
some  cases  food  being  placed  with  them  in  their  mouths.  Occasionally 
money  is  left  to  pay  for  food  in  the  spirit  land." 

This  account  is  furnished  by  General  Charles  II.  Tompkins,  deputy 
quartermaster-general,  United  States  Army,  who  witnessed  the  burial 
above  related,  and  is  the  more  interesting  as  it  seems  to  be  the  only  well- 
authenticated  case  on  record,  although  E.  A.  Barber*  has  described  what 
may  possibly  have  been  a  case  of  cremation  like  the  one  above  noted : 

"A  very  singular  case  of  aboriginal  burial  was  brought  to  my  notice 
recently  by  Mr.  William  Klingbeil,  of  Philadelphia.  On  the  New  Jersey 
bank  of  the  Deljiware  River,  a  short  distance  below  Gloucester  City,  the 
skeleton  of  a  man  was  found  buried  in  a  standing  position,  in  a  high,  red, 
sandy-clay  bluff  overlooking  the  stream.  A  few  inches  below  the  surface 
the  neck  bones  were  found,  and  below  these  +he  remainder  of  the  skeleton, 
with  the  exception  of  the  bones  of  the  hands  and  feet.  The  skull  being 
wanting,  it  could  not  be  determined  whether  the  remains  were  those  of  an 
Indian  or  of  a  white  man,  but  in  either  case  the  sepulture  was  peculiarly 
aboriginal  A  careful  exhumation  and  critical  exann'nation  by  Mr.  Klingbeil 
disclosed  the  fact  that  around  tiic  lower  extremities  of  the  bod}^  had  been 
})laced  a  number  of  large  stones,  which  revealed  traces  of  fire,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  charred  wood,  and  the  bones  of  the  feet  had  undoubtedly  been 
consumed  This  fact  makes  it  appear  reasonably  certain  that  the  subject 
had  been  executed,  probably  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  A  pit  had  been  dug, 
in  which  he  was  placed  erect,  and  a  fire  kindled  around  him.  Then  he  had 
been  buried  alive,  or,  at  least,  if  he  did  not  survive  the  fiery  ordeal,  his 
body  was  imbedded  in  the  earth,  with  the  excei)tion  of  his  head,  which  was 
left  protruding  above  the  surface.  As  no  trace  of  the  cranium  could  bo 
found,  it  seems  probalde  that  tlie  head  had  either  been  burned  or  severed 
from  the  body  and  removed,  or  else  left  a  prey  to  ravenous  birds.  The 
skeleton,  which  would  have  measured  fully  six  feet  in  height,  was  undoubt- 
edly that  of  a  man." 


*Amiric;iii  Nntnr.il.,  Sppt.,  IWfl,  p.  f)20. 


1i 


BURIAL  AIJOVE  GROUND— SIOUX. 


G3 


Blackinjif  the  face,  as  is  mentioned  in  tlie  first  account,  is  a  custom 

known  to  have  existed  fimonj?  many  tribes  thrcugliout  the  world,  hut  in 

some  cases  different  eartlis  and  pifrments  are  used  as  sifyns  of  mouniinjr. 

The  natives  of  Guinea  smear  a  chalky  substance  over  their  bodies  as  an 

outward  expression  of  grief,  and  it  is  well  known  that  the  ancient  Israelites 

threw  ashes  on  their  heads  and  garments.     Placing  food  with  the  corpse  or 

in  its  mouth,  and  monej'  in  the  hand,  finds  its  analogue  in  the  custom  of  the 

ancient  Romans,  who,  some  time  before  interment,  jdaced  a  piece  of  money 

in  the  corpse's  mouth,  which  was  thought  to  be  Charon's  fare  for  wafting 

the  departed  soul  over  the  Infernal  River.     Besides  this,  the  corpse's  mouth 

was  furnished  with  a  certain  cake,  composed  of  flour,  honey,  &c.     This  was 

designed  to  appease  the  fury  of  Cerberus,  the  infernal  doorkeeper,  and  to 

procure  a  safe  and  quiet  entrance.     These  examples  are  curious  coincidences, 

if  nothing  more. 

BURIAL  ABOVE  GROUND. 

Our  attention  should  next  be  turned  to  sepulture  above  the  ground, 
including  lodge,  house,  l)ox,  scaffold,  tree,  and  canoe  burial,  and  the  first 
example  which  may  be  given  is  that  of  burial  in  lodges,  which  is  by  no 
means  common.  Tlie  descrijjtion  which  follows  is  by  Stansbury,*  and 
relates  to  the  Sioux  : 

"  I  put  on  my  moccasins,  and,  displaying  my  wet  shirt  like  a  flag  to 
the  wind,  we  proceeded  to  the  lodges  which  had  attracted  our  curiosity. 
There  were  five  of  them  pitched  upon  the  open  prairie,  and  in  them  wo 
found  the  bodies  of  nine  Sioux  laid  out  upon  the  ground,  wrapped  in  their 
robes  of  buff"alo-skin,  with  their  saddles,  spears,  camp-kettles,  and  all  their 
accoutrements  piled  up  around  them.  Some  lodges  contained  three,  othei-s 
only  one  body,  all  of  which  were  more  or  less  in  a  state  of  decomposition. 
A  short  distance  apart  from  these  was  one  lodge  which,  though  small, 
seemed  of  rather  superior  pretensions,  and  was  evidently  pitched  with  great 
care.  It  contained  the  body  of  a  yomig  Indian  girl  of  sixteen  or  eighteen 
years,  with  a  countenance  presenting  quite  an  agreeable  exi)ression;  she 
was  richly  dressed  in  leggins  of  fine  scarlet  cloth  elaborately  ornan>ented ; 
a  new  pair  of  moccasins,  beautifully  embroidered  with  porcupine  quills,  was 

•  KxplointioiiB  of  tli«  Vallpy  of  th«  Great  Salt  Laki<  of  Utah,  1S!')2,  i>.  iX 


h 


.^ 


■ :( 


#-jSf1 


G4 


LODGE  r.TTUIAL -CROWS. 


on 


lier  feet,  and  her  body  was  wrajjpod  in  two  superb  buffalo-robes  worked 
in  like  manner;  she  had  evidently  been  dead  but  a  day  or  two,  and  to  our 
surprise  a  portion  of  the  upper  part  of  her  person  was  bare,  exposinjr  the 
lace  and  a  part  of  the  breast,  as  if  the  robes  in  which  she  was  wrapped  had 
by  some  means  been  disarranged,  whereas  all  the  other  bodies  were  closely 
covered  up.  It  was,  at  the  time,  the  opinion  of  our  mountaineers  that  these 
Indians  must  have  fallen  in  an  eni-ounter  with  a  party  of  Crows ;  but  I 
subsequently  learned  that  they  had  all  died  of  the  cholera,  and  that  this 
vouno-  "-irl,  beinir  considered  past  recovery,  had  been  arranged  by  her 
friends  in  the  habiliments  of  the  dead,  inclosed  in  the  lodge  alive,  and  aban- 
doned to  her  fate,  so  fearfully  alarmed  were  the  Indians  by  this  to  them 
novel  and  terrible  disease. 

It  might,  perhaps,  be  said  that  this  form  of  burial  was  exceptional, 
and  due  to  the  dread  of  again  using  the  lodges  which  had  served  as  the 
homes  of  those  afflicted  with  the  cholera,  but  it  is  thought  such  was  not  the 
case,  as  the  writer  has  notes  of  the  same  kind  of  burial  among  the  same 
tribe  and  of  others,  notably  the  Crows,  the  body  of  one  of  their  chiefs 
(Long  Horse)  being  disposed  of  as  follows  : 

"The  lodge  poles  inclose  an  oblong  circle  some  18  by  22  feet  at  the 
base,  converging  to  a  point  at  least  '60  feet  high,  covered  with  buffalo-hides 
dressed  without  hair  except  a  part  of  the  tail  switch,  which  floats  outside 
like,  and  mingled  with  human  scalps.  The  different  skins  are  neatly  fitted 
and  sewed  together  with  sinew,  and  all  painted  in  seven  alternate  horizon- 
tal strij)es  of  brown  and  yellow,  decorated  with  various  life-like  war  scenes. 
Over  the  small  entrance  is  a  large  bright  cross,  the  upright  being  a  largo 
stull'ed  white  wolf-skin  upon  his  war  lance,  and  the  cross-bar  of  bright  scar- 
let flannel,  containing  the  quiver  of  bow  and  arrows,  which  nearly  all  war- 
riors still  carry,  even  when  armed  with  repeating  rifles.  As  the  cross  is  not 
a  pagan  but  a  Christian  (which  Long  Horse  was  not  either  by  profession 
or  practice)  emblem,  it  was  probably  i)laced  there  by  the  influence  of  some 
of  his  white  friends.  I  entered,  finding  Long  Horse  buried  Indian  fashion, 
in  i'ulKwar  dress,  paint  and  feathers,  in  a  rude  coffin,  upon  a  platform  about 
breast  high,  decorated  with  weapons,  scalps,  and  ornaments.  A  large  open- 
ing and  wind-flap  at  top  favored  ventilation,  and  though  he  had  lain  there 
in  an  open  coffin  a  full  month,  some  of  which  was  hot  weather,  there  was 


BURIAL  IN  BOXES— CREEKS,  INDIAN  TERRITORY. 

but  little  effluvia  ;  in  fact,  I  have  seldom  found  mucli  in  a  burial-teepee,  and 
when  this  mode  of  burial  is  thus  performed  it  is  less  repulsive  than  natural 
to  suppose." 

This  account  is  furnished  by  Col.  P.  W.  Norris,  superintendent  of 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  he  having  bee/i  an  eye-witness  of  what  he 
relates  in  187G. 

The  Blackfeet,  Sioux,  and  Navajos  also  bury  in  lodges,  and  the  In- 
dians of  Bellinghani  Bay,  according  to  Dr.  J.  F.  Hammond,  U.  S  A., 
place  their  dead  in  carved  wooden  sarcophagi,  inclosing  these  with  a  rectan- 
gular tent  of  some  white  material. 

Bancroft*  states  that  certain  of  the  Indians  of  Costa  Rica,  when  a  death 
occurred,  deposited  the  body  in  a  small  hut  constmcted  of  plaited  palm 
reeds.  In  this  it  is  preserved  for  three  years,  food  being  supplied,  and  on 
each  anniversary  of  the  death  it  is  redressed  and  attended  to  amid  certain 
ceremonies.  The  writer  has  been  recently  informed  that  a  similar  custom 
prevailed  in  Demerara.  No  authentic  accounts  are  known  of  analogous 
modes  of  burial  among  the  peoples  of  the  Old  World,  although  quite  fre- 
quently the  dead  were  interred  beneath  the  floors  of  their  houses,  a  custom 
which  has  been  followed  by  the  Mosquito  Indians  of  Central  America  and 
one  or  two  of  our  own  tribes. 

BOX  BURIAL. 

Under  this  head  may  be  placed  those  examples  furnished  by  certain 
tribes  on  the  Northwest  coast  who  used  as  receptacles  for  the  dead  won- 
derfully carved,  large  wooden  chests,  these  being  supported  upon  a  low 
platform  or  resting  on  the  ground.  In  shape  they  resemble  a  small  house 
with  an  angular  roof,  and  each  one  has  an  opening  through  which  food 
may  be  passed  to  the  corpse. 

Some  of  the  tribes  formerly  living  in  New  York  used  boxes  much  re- 
sembling those  spoken  of,  and  the  Creeks,  Choctaws,  and  Cherokees  did 

the  same. 

Capt.  J.  II.  Gageby,  U.  S.  A.,  furnishes  the  following  relating  to  the 

Creeks  in  Indian  Territory : 

*     are  buried  on  the  surface,  in  a  box  or  a  substitute  made  of 


X* 


'M 


*''■.? 


.^^ 


!■?'-!«. 


m 


"Nat.  Ruces  of  Pac.  States,  1871,  vol.  1,  !>.  78(1. 


6  Y 


66 


TREE  AND  SCAFFOLD  ntlRIAL. 


Ill 


.  ■•     I:    . 

I  .''Ji' 


branches  of  trees,  covered  with  small  branches,  loaves,  and  earth.  I  havo 
seen  several  of  their  graves,  which  after  a  few  weeks  had  become  uncovered 
and  the  remains  (>xpose(l  to  view.  I  saw  in  one  Creek  j^ravo  (a  child's)  a 
small  sum  of  silver,  in  another  (adult  male)  some  implements  of  warfare, 
bow  and  arrow  s.  They  are  all  interred  with  the  feet  of  the  corpse  to  tho 
cast.  In  the  mom'nin<^  ceremonies  of  the  Creeks  the  nearer  relatives 
smeared  their  hair  and  faces  with  a  composition  made  of  {jrrease  ami 
wood  ashes,  and  would  remain  in  that  condition  for  several  (lays,  and 
prob.ably  a  month." 

THEE  AND  SCAFFOLD  BURIAL. 


•I:      '! 


We  may  now  pass  to  what  may  be  called  aerial  sejjulturo  proper,  tho 
most  common  exam])les  of  which  ai'c  tree  and  scaffold  burial,  quite  exten- 
sively practi(!ed  even  at  the  ])resent  time.  From  what  can  I  learned,  the 
choice  of  this  mode  depends  greatly  on  the  facilities  present ;  where  timber 
abounds,  trees  being  used ;  if  absent,  scaffolds  being  employed,  tho  con- 
struction of  which  among  the  Yanktonais  is  related  as  follows  :* 

"These  scaffolds  are  7  to  8  feet  high,  10  feet  long,  and  4  or  5  wide. 
Four  stout  posts,  with  forked  ends,  are  first  set  firmly  in  tho  ground,  and 
then  in  the  forks  are  laid  cross  and  side  poles,  on  which  is  made  a  flooring 
of  small  ])oles.  The  body  is  then  carefully  wrapped,  so  as  to  make  it  water- 
tight, anil  laid  to  rest  on  the  poles.  The  reason  why  Indians  bury  in  tho 
open  air  instead  of  imder  the  ground  is  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  their 
dead  from  wild  animals.  In  new  countries,  where  wolves  and  bears  are  nu- 
merous, a  dead  body  will  be  dug  up  and  devoured,  though  it  bo  i)ut  many  feet 
under  tho  ground.  I  noticed  many  little  buckets  smd  baskets  hanging  on 
the  scaffolds.  *  *  *  These  had  contained  food  and  drink  for  the  dead. 
I  asked  AVashtella  if  she  was  sure  the  soul  ate  and  drank  on  its  journey, 
ami  if  the  food  did  )iot  remain  untouched  in  its  basket.  She  rejjlied,  '  Oh, 
no,  tho  food  and  water  is  always  gone.'  I  looked  at  tho  hundreds  of  ravens 
perched  on  the  scaffolds  and  could  account  for  what  became  of  most  of 
the  food  and  water."     *     *     * 


'Lifr  of  \M(\m,  the  Wliito  Chief,  1871,  \>.  87. 


TREE  lUTltlAIi-llLACKFEET. 


67 


John  Younnr,  Tndiim  a^'oiit  at  the  Blaclcfoot  Agency,  Montana,  sends 
the  following  account  of  tree-burial  nniong  this  tribe  : 

"Their  manner  of  burial  has  always  been  (until  recently)  to  inclose 
the  (lead  body  in  robes  or  blankets,  the  best  owned  by  the  departed,  closely 
sewed  up,  and  then,  if  a  male  or  chief,  fasten  in  the  branches  of  a  tree  so 
high  as  to  bo  beyond  the  reach  of  wolves,  and  then  left  to  slowly  waste  in 
the  dry  winds,  If  the  body  was  that  of  a  squaw  or  child,  it  was  thrown 
into  the  underbrush  or  jungle,  where  it  soon  became  the  prey  of  the  wild  ani- 
mals. The  weapons,  jiipcs,  &c.,  of  men  were  inclosed,  and  the  small  toys 
of  children  with  them.  The  ceremonies  were  « tpi.tUy  barbarous,  the  rela- 
tives cutting  off,  according  to  the  dejjth  of  their  grief,  one  or  more  joints  of 
the  fingers,  divesting  them.selves  of  clothing  even  in  the  coldest  weather, 
and  filling  the  air  with  their  lamentations.  All  the  sewing  n\)  and  burial 
process  was  conducted  by  the  srpuiws,  as  the  men  would  not  touch  nor 
remain  in  proximity  to  a  dead  body. 

"  When  an  Indian  of  any  importance  is  departing  the  squaws  as.somble 
in  the  lodge  or  tee|)ce  and  sing  the  death-song,  recoiuiti  ig  the  prowess  and 
virtues  of  the  dying  one,  and  tlio  oldest  m.an  at  hand  goes  into  the  open  air 
and  solenmly  addresses  the  '  Great  Spirit,'  besjjeaking  a  welcouu-  for  him 
into  the  hapi)y  hunting  groiuids.  Whatever  property  the  deceased  has — 
lodge,  .arms,  or  ponies — if  a  will  was  made,  it  was  carefully  carried  out;  if 
not,  all  was  sci-andjled  for  by  the  relatives.  I  have  often  had,  when  a  man 
wanted  to  go  out  of  mourning,  to  supply  tlui  necessary  clothing  to  cover  his 
nakedness. 

"  Further  mourning  observances  were  and  are,  the  women  relatives 
getting  on  some  elevated  spot  near  ^\]unv.  the  body  rests,  and  keeping  x\\^  u 
dismal  wail,  frequently  even  in  extreme  cold  weather,  the  greater  part  of  the 
night,  and  tin;,  is  kept  up  often  for  a  month.  No  cremation  or  burying  in 
a  grave  Avas  practiced  by  them  at  any  time.  Pained  by  often  coming  on 
skeletons  in  trees  and  the  stench  of  half-consumed  remains  in  the  brush,  and 
shocked  by  the  frequent  nmtilations  visible,  I  have  reasoned  with  the  poor 
savasres.  In  one  case,  when  a  woman  was  about  to  cut  off  a  finger  in  evi- 
denceof  her  grief  fin-  the  loss  of  a  child,  she  consented  on  entronly  <o  cur 
off  only  one  joint,  ami  on  further  entreaty  was  brought  lo  merely  making 


i 


Ja 


t.fl 


..-V 


■m 


III 


' '''  i 


]U\i} 


fl! 


1?' 


tiiii 


08 


SCAFFOLD  HnillAL, 


Hciit  ami  letting  out  Home  blood.  This  nmch  hIiu  could  not  bo  previiilod 
upon  to  forego.  *  *  *  Their  mourning  and  wailing,  avoiding  tlio  defilo- 
ment  of  touching  a  dead  body,  and  other  customs  not  connectod  with  burial 
observances,  strongly  point  to  Jewish  origin." 

Koatintr*  thus  describes  burial  scaffolds: 

"On  these  scatVolds,  which  are  from  S  to  10  feet  high,  corpses  were 
deposited  in  a  box  made  from  part  of  a  broken  canoe.  Some  hair  was  sus- 
pended, which  wo  at  first  mistook  for  a  scalp,  but  our  guide  informed  us 
that  these  wore  locks  of  hair  torn  from  their  heads  by  the  relatives  to  testify 
their  grief  In  the  centre,  between  the  four  posts  which  supported  the 
Hcatlbld,  a  stake  was  planted  in  the  ground ;  it  was  about  six  feet  high,  and 
bore  an  imitation  of  human  iigincs,  fiv(>  of  which  had  a  design  of  a  i)etti- 
coat,  indicating  tluiui  to  be  females;  the  rest,  amounting  to  seven,  were 
naked,  and  were  intended  for  mah;  figures ;  of  the  latter  four  were  head- 
less, showing  that  they  had  been  slain ;  the  three  other  male  tigures  were 
unnuitilated,  but  held  a  staff  in  their  hand,  which,  as  our  guide  informed 
us,  designated  that  they  were  slaves.  The  post,  which  is  an  usual  accom- 
paniment to  the  scaffold  that  sujjijorts  a  warrior's  remains,  does  not  repre- 
sent the  achievements  of  the  deceased;  but  those  of  the  warriors  that  assem- 
bled near  his  remains  danced  the  dance  of  the  post,  and  related  their  uuu'tial 
exploits.  A  number  of  small  bones  of  animals  were  observed  in  the  vicinity, 
which  were  probably  left  thej'e  after  a  feast  celebrated  in  honor  of  the  dead. 

"  The  boxes  in  which  the  corpses  were  placed  are  so  short  that  a  nniu 
could  not  lie  in  them  extended  at  full  length,  but  in  a  country  where  boxes 
and  boards  are  scarce  this  is  overlooked.  After  the  corpses  have  remained 
a  certain  time  exposed,  they  are  taken  down  and  buried.  Our  guide,  Ken- 
ville,  related  to  us  that  he  had  been  a  witness  to  an  interesting,  though  pain- 
ful, circumstance  that  occurred  here.  An  Indian  who  resided  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, hearing  that  his  son  had  died  at  this  spot,  came  up  in  a  canoe  to 
take  charge  of  the  remains  and  convey  them  down  the  river  to  his  place  of 
abode,  but  on  his  arrival  he  fouml  that  the  cor^jse  had  already  made  such 
progress  toward  decomposition  as  rendered  it  impossible  for  it  to  be  removed, 
lie  then  undertook,  with  a  few  friends,  to  clean  off  the  bones.    All  the  flesh 


'  Loug'8  Exi.iil.  to  the  St.  lVtcr'8  River,  1*>4,  1«.  3;ia, 


SCAFFOLD  BURIAL. 


69 


WJiH  scraiied  off  luul  thrown  into  tlio  Htrciun,  tlio  Ijones  were  cnrofully  col- 
looted  into  hiH  canoo,  iuid  Hul)se(|ii(^ntly  carried  d(»\vii  to  his  rt'sich'uco " 

Intorusting  and  vahiahlo  from  tho  cxtronio  attontion  paid  to  dotailH 
iH  the  foIlowiii«r  account  of  a  buna!  case  (liscovorod  by  Dr.  Goorgo  M. 
Sfcrnborg,  U.  S.  A.,  and  fiirnislicd  by  Dr.  Gcorfro  A.  Otis,  U.  S.  A., 
Army  Modical  Museum,  Washington,  I).  C.  It  rclatcn  to  the  Clieyennes  of 
Kansas : 

"The  case  was  found,  Brevet  Major  Sternberg  states,  on  the  h.xuku  of 
Wahmt  (^rook,  Kansas,  ekivatetl  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground  b\-  four 
notclied  poles,  wliicli  were  lirudy  planted  in  tiie  ground.  The  unusual  care 
manifested  in  the  jtreparatiou  of  the  case  induced  Dr.  Sternberg  to  infer  that 
Bomo  important  chief  was  inclosed  in  it.  lielieviug  that  articles  ol  interest 
were  inclosed  with  the  body,  and  that  their  value  wouhl  l)e  enhanced  if 
they  were  rec^eived  at  the  j\Iuseuni  as  left  b}'  the  Indians,  Dr.  Sterid)erg 
detcrnnned  to  send  the  case  tmopened. 

"  1  had  the  case  opened  this  tnorning  and  an  inventory  made  of  tlie 
contents.  The  case  consisted  of  a  cradle  of  interlaced  branches  of  white 
willow,  aboiit  H  feet  long,  3  feet  broad,  and  3  feet  high,  with  a  flooring  of 
buffalo  thongs  arranged  as  a  net-work.  This  cradle  was  seci.vel}'  fastened 
by  strips  of  buffalodiide  to  four  poles  of  iron  wood  and  cottouwood,  about 
12  feet  in  length.  These  poles  doubtless  rested  upon  the  forked  extremities 
of  the  vertical  poles  described  by  Dr.  Sternberg.  The  cradle  was  wrapped 
in  two  bufliilo-robes  of  large  size  and  well  preserved.  On  removing  these 
an  aperture  18  inches  s(puire  was  found  at  the  nii(hllo  of  the  riglit  side  of 
the  cradle  or  basket.  Within  aj)peared  other  buffalo-robes  fidded  about  the 
renuiins,  and  secured  by  gaudy-colored  sashes.  Five  robes  were  succes- 
sively removed,  making  seven  in  all.  Then  we  came  to  a  series  of  new 
blankets  folded  about  the  remains.  There  were  five  in  all — two  scarlet,  two 
blue,  and  one  white.  These  being  removed,  tiie  next  wrapi)iugs  con.sisted 
of  a  striped  white  ami  gray  sack,  and  of  a  United  States  Infantry  overcoat, 
like  the  other  coverings  nearly  new.  We  had  now  come  apparently  upon 
the  inmiediatc^  enveloiies  of  the  remains,  which  it  was  now  evident  nuist  be 
those  of  a  cliild.  These  consisted  of  three  rol)es,  witli  hoods  very  richly 
ornamented  with  bead-work.     These  robes  or  cloaks  were  of  butfalo-calf 


f 


70 


SCAFFOLD  nUKlAL. 


skill  iibour  four  feet  in  lonj^th,  clabonitcly  tlecomt<3(l  with  bead-work  in 
stripes.  The  outer  was  ooverod  wilh  rows  of  bhio  aud  white  bead-work, 
the  second  was  j^reeu  aud  yellow,  and  the  third  blue  and  red.  All  were 
further  adorned  by  spherical  brass  bells  attached  all  about  the  borders  by 
strings  of  beads. 

"The  remains  with  their  wrai)pings  lay  upon  a  matang  similar  to  hat 
'ised  by  tho  Navajo  and  otlier  Indians  of  the  southern  plains,  and  upon  a 
pillow  t)f  dirty  rags,  in  wliicli  were  folded  a  bag  of  red  [)aint,  bits  of  ante- 
lope skin,  bunches  of  strajjs,  buckles,  tic.  The  three  bead-work  hooded 
cloaks  were  now  removed,  and  then  we  successively  unwrapped  a  gray 
woolen  double  shawl,  five  yards  of  blue  cassiniero,  six  yards  of  red  calico, 
and  six  yards  uf  brown  calico,  and  rtnally  disclosed  the  remains  of  a  child, 
probabh'  al)out  a  \ear  old,  in  an  atlvanced  stage  of  decomposition.  The 
cadaver  had  a  bcaver-ca})  ornamented  with  disks  of  copper  contairdng  tho 
bones  of  the  cranium,  which  had  fallen  apart.  About  the  neck  were  long 
wam])um  necklaces,  with  c/cHtalhiiii,  uiiioniikc,  and  ^,u)icul(C,  intersj)ersed  with 
beads.  There  were  al.'o  strings  of  the  i)ieces  of  IlaJlotis  from  the  Gulf  of 
Californiii,  so  valued  by  tlie  Indians  on  this  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
The  body  had  been  elaborately  dressed  for  burial,  the  costume  consisting  of 
a  red-flannel  cluak,  a  red  tunic,  and  frock-leggins  adorned  with  bead-work, 
yarn  stoeki;igs  ot  red  and  black  worsted,  and  deerskin  bead-work  mocca- 
sins. V,  ith  the  i-eniains  were  mnnerous  trinkets,  a  porcelain  image,  a  China 
vase,  strings  of  beads,  several  toys,  a  pair  of  mittens,  a  fur  collar,  a  pouch 
of  the  skin  of  pitfotitis  vison,  &c." 

Another  extremely  interesting  account  of  scaffold  burial,  furnished  by 
J)r.  L.  >S.  Turner,  U.  8.  A.,  Fort  Peck,  Mont.,  and  relati:<g  to  the  Sioux,  is 
here  given  entire,  as  it  refers  to  certain  curious  mourning  observances 
which  have  prevailed  to  a  great  extent  over  the  entire  globe: 

"'J'he  Dakotas  Inuy  their  dead  in  the  tops  of  trees  when  limbs  can 
be  fo\uid  sniliciently  horizontal  to  support  scaffolding  on  which  to  lay  the 
body,  l»ut  MS  such  growth  is  not  conmion  in  Dakota,  the  more  general  i)rac- 
tice  is  to  lay  lliom  upon  scaffolds  f.om  7  to  10  feet  high  and  out  of  the  reach  of 
cnrniverous  animals,  jis  the  wolf  These  sciiffoh.s  are  constructed  upon  four 
posts  set  into  the  ground  soiuething  after  tlie  maimer  of  the  rude  drawiu<r 


SCAFFOLD  BITKIAL. 


71 


which  T  inclose.  Like  all  labors  of  a  domestic  kind,  the  preparation  for 
buriul  is  left  to  the  women,  usuallv  the  old  women.  The  work  bei-ins  as 
soon  as  life  is  extinct.  The  face,  neck,  and  hands  are  thickly  pninted  witli 
vermilion,  or  u  species  vl  red  earth  found  in  various  i)ortions  of  the  Terri- 
tory when  the  vermilion  of  the  traders  cannot  be  had.  The  clothes  and 
personal  trinkets  of  the  deceased  ornament  the  body.  When  blankets 
are  available,  it  is  then  wrap})ed  in  one,  all  pai-ts  of  the  body  bein<>-  com- 
pletely enveloped.  Around  this  a  i!-\ssed  skin  of  butt'alo  is  then  securely 
Y.'rapped,  with  the  Hesh  side  out,  and  the  whole  secvu-ely  bound  with  thongs 
of  skins,  either  raw  or  dressed;  and  for  ornament,  when  a^  aihdjle,  a  bright- 
red  blaidcet  envelopes  all  other  coverings,  and  renders  the  general  scene 
more  pictnre.scpui  until  dimmed  by  time  and  tlie  elements.  As  soon  as  the 
scaffold  is  ready,  the  body  is  borne  by  the  women,  followed  by  the  female 
relatives,  to  the  place  of  final  deposit,  a)id  left  prone  in  its  secure  wi'ap 
pings  u])on  this  airy  bed  <  f  death,  '^lliis  ceremony  is  accompanied  wit'i 
lamentations  so  wild  and  weird  that  one  must  ee  and  hear  in  order  to  a])pr(- 
ciate.  If  the  deceased  be  a  brave,  it  is  customary  to  jdace  upon  or  bcneatli 
the  scaffold  a  few  buifalo-heads  which  time  has  rendered  dry  and  inoti'ensive; 
and  if  he  has  been  brave  in  war  some  of  his  implements  of  battle  are  placed 
on  the  scaffold  or  securel}'  tied  to  its  timbers.  If  the  deceased  has  been  a 
chief,  or  a  soldier  related  to  Ins  chief,  it  is  not  unconnnon  to  slay  his  favorite 
pony  and  place  the  body  beneath  the  scaffohl,  under  the  superstition,  I  sup- 
pose, that  the  horse  goes  with  the  mjin.  As  illustrating  the  proi)ensity  to 
provide  the  dead  with  the  things  used  while  living,  I  ma}'  mention  that  some 
years  a;^;,  I  loaned  to  an  old  man  a  delft  urinal  for  the  use  of  his  son,  a 
young  man  who  was  slowly  dying  of  a  wasting  disease.  I  made  him  prom- 
ise faithfully  that  he  would  return  it  as  soon  as  his  son  was  done  u.sing  it. 
Not  lou'i-  afterwards  the  urinal  giaceil  the  scafhdd  which  held  the  remains 
of  the  dead  warri')r,  and  as  it  has  not  to  this  day  been  returned  1  presume 
the  young  man  is  not  done  using  it. 

''The  mourning  customs  of  the  Dakotas,  though  few  of  them  appear 
to  be  of  universal  observance,  cover  considerable  ground.     Tlie  hair,  never 


nd  th 


cut  under  other  circumstances,  is  cropped  ofi  even  with  the  neck,  iu 

top  of  the  head  and  lorehead,  and  sometimes  nearly  the  whole  body,  are 


72 


M0U1!N1NG  OBSERVANCES. 


9<'  ' 


smeared  witli  n  species  of  white  earth  resembling  chalk,  moistened  with 
water.     The  lodge,  teepee,  and  all  the  family  possessions  excei)t  the  few 
shabby  articles  of  apparel  worn  by  the  mourners,  are  given  away  and  the 
family  left  destitute.     Thus  far  the  custom  is  universal  or  nearly  so.     The 
wives,  mother,  and  sisters  of  a  deceased  man,  on  the  iirst,  second,  or  third 
day  after  the  funeral,  fretpieutly  throw  off  their  moccasins  and  leggins  and 
gash  their  legs  with  their  butcher-knives,  and  march  through  the  camp  and 
to  the  place  of  burial  with  bare  and  bleeding  extremities,  while  they  chant 
or  wail  their  dismal  songs  of  mourning.     Tlie  men    likewise   often   gash 
themselves  in  many  places,  and  usually  seek  the   solitude  of  the  higher 
point  on  the  distant  prairie,  where  they  renuiin  fasting,  smoking,  and  wail- 
inir  out  their  lamentations  for  two  or  three  days.     A  chief  who  had  lost  a 
brother  once  came  to  nie  after  tiu'ce  <ir  four  day.s  of  mourning  in  solitude 
almost  exhausted  I'rom  hunger  and  bodily  anguish.     He  had  gashed  the 
outer  side  of  botli  lower  extremities  at  intervals  of  a  few  inches  all  the  way 
Irom  the  ankles  to  the  U)\)  of  the  hips.     His  wounds   had   inflamed  from 
exposure,  and  uere  suppurating  freely.     He  assured  mo  that  he  had  not 
slept  for  several  days  or  nights.     [  dres.sed  his  wounds  with  a  soothing 
ointment,  and  gave  him  a  full  dose  of  an  effective  anodyne,  after  which  ho 
slept  long  and  refreshingly,  and  awoke  to  express  his  gratitude  and  shake 
my  hand  in  a  very  cordial  and  sincere  manner.     When  these  harsher  inflic- 
tions are  not  resorted  to,  the  mourners  usually  re[)air  daily  for  a  iew  days 
to  the  place  of  burial,  toward  the  hour  of  sunset,  and  chant  their  grief  until 
apparently  assuaged   by  its  own   expression.     This  is  rarely  kept  up  for 
more  than   fiuir  or  live  days,  but  is  o<'casi(tnally  resorted  to,  at  intervals, 
lor  weeks,  or  even  months,  according  to  the  mood  of  the  bereft.     1  have 
seen  few  things  in  life  so  touching  as  the  spectacle  of  an  old  father  goin>.; 
daily  to  the  grave  of  his  ehild,  while  the   shadows    are   lengthening,  and 
pouring  out  his  grief  in  wails  that  would  move  a  denu)n,  until  his  flguro 
melts  with  the  gray  twilight,  when,  silent  and   solenni,  he  returns  to  his 
desolate  family.     The  weird  efleet  of  this  ob.servance  is  sometimes  height- 
ened, when  the  deceased  was  a  gn.wn-up  son,  by  the  old   man   kindling  a 
httle  iu'e  near  tile  iiead  (tf  the  scatfold,  and  varying  his  lamentations  with 
The  toregoing  is  drawn  from  my  meuiory  of  personal 


smoking  m  silent 


MOUllNIJsG  OBSERVANCES. 


73 


observances  durinfr  a  period  of  more  than  six  years'  constant  intercourse 
with  several  subdivisions  of  tlie  Dalcota  Indians.  Tliere  may  be  mudi 
whicli  memory  has  failed  to  recall  upon  a  brief  consideration." 

Perhaps  a  brief  review  of  Dr.  Turner's  narrative  ma)-  ni)t  be  deemed 
inappropriate  here. 

Supplying  food  to  the  dead  is  a  custom  which  is  known  to  be  of  great 
antiquity;  in  some  instances,  as  among  the  ancient  Romans,  it  appears 
to  have  been  a  sacriiicial  offering,  for  il  usually  accompanied  cremation, 
and  v.as  not  confined  to  food  alone,  for  s})ices,  ))erfumes,  oil,  &c.,  were 
thrown  upon  the  burning  pile.  In  addition  to  this,  articles  suppo.^od  or 
known  to  have  been  agreeable  to  the  deceased  were  also  consumed.  The 
Jews  did  the  same,  and  in  our  own  time  the  Chinese,  Caribs  and  many  of 
the  tribes  of  North  American  Indians  followed  these  customs.  The  cut- 
ting of  hair  as  a  mourning  observance  is  of  very  great  antiquity,  and  Tegg 
relates  that  among  the  ancients  whole  cities  and  countries  were  shaved  (sir) 
when  a  great  man  died.  The  Persians  not  oidy  shaved  themselves  on  such 
occasions,  but  extended  tlu'  same  process  to  their  domestic  animals,  and 
Alexander,  at  the  death  of  Ileph.Tstin,  not  only  cut  off  the  manes  of  his 
horses  and  mules,  l)ut  took  down  the  battlements  from  the  cit}-  walls,  that 
even  towns  might  seem  in  mourning  and  look  bald.  Scarifying  and  muti- 
lating the  body  has  prevailed  from  a  remote  period  of  time,  having  possibly 
replaced,  in  the  jjrocess  of  evolution,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  more  barbarous 
practice  of  absolute  personal  sacrifice.  In  later  days,  among  our  Indians, 
luunan  sacrifices  have  taken  place  to  only  a  limited  extent,  but  formerly 
many  victims  were  innnolated,  for  at  the  funerals  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Florichi 
and  Carolina  Indians  all  the  male  relatives  and  wives  were  slain,  for  the 
reason,  according  to  Gallatin,  that  the  hereditary  dignify  of  ('hief  or  (Jreat 
Sun  descended,  as  usual,  by  the  female  line;  and  he,  as  well  as  all  other 
mend)ers  of  his  clan,  whether  male  or  female,  could  marry  only  persons  of 
an  inferior  clan.  To  this  day  nuitilation  of  the  person  among  some  tribes 
of  Indians  is  usual.  Tlie  saerifice  of  the  favorite  horse  or  horses  is  by  no 
means  peculiar  to  our  Indians,  for  it  was  common  among  the  Uomans.  and 
possildy  even  anumg  the  n-'U  of  the  Heindeer  period,  for  at  Solutre,  in 
France,  the  writer  .saw  horse.s  bones  exhinned  from  the  graves  examined  in 


Vi       1 


1   ' 

m. 


m>'- 


74 


CONCLAMATION. 


i' 


1873.  Tlie  writer  has  frequently  conversed  with  Indians  upon  this  subject, 
und  they  have  invariably  informed  him  that  when  horses  were  slain  great 
care  was  taken  to  select  the  poorest  of  the  band. 

Tree-burial  was  not  uncommon  among-  the  nations  of  anticpiity,  for 
theColchiens  enveloped  their  dead  in  sacks  of  skin  and  hung  them  to  trees; 
the  ancient  Tartars  and  Scythians  did  the  same.  With  rogai-d  to  the  use  of 
scaffolds  and  trees  as  places  of  deposit  for  the  dead,  it  seems  somewliat 
curious  that  the  tribes  who  formerly  occupied  the  eastern  portion  of  our 
continent  were  not  in  the  habit  of  burying  in  this  way,  which,  from  the 
abundance  of  tim1)er,  would  iiave  been  a  much  easier  method  than  the  ones 
in  vogue,  while  the  ^vestern  tribes,  living  in  sparsely  wooded  localities,  pre- 
ferred the  other.  If  we  consider  that  the  Indians  were  desirous  of  pre- 
serving their  dead  as  long  as  possible,  the  ftxct  of  their  dead  being  i)laced 
in  trees  and  scaffolds  would  lead  to  tlie  supjiosition  that  those  living  on  the 
plains  were  weU  aware  of  the  desiccating  property  of  the  dry  air  of  that 
arid  region.     This  desiccation  would  pass  for  a  kind  of  munnnification. 

The  particular  part  of  the  mourning  ceremonies,  which  consisted  in 
loud  cries  and  lamentations,  may  have  luid  in  early  periods  of  time  a  greater 
significance  than  that  of  a  mere  expression  of  grief  or  woe,  and  on  this  point 
Bruhier*  seems  quite  positive,  his  interpretution  being  that  .such  cries  were 
intended  to  prevent  ])remature  burial.  He  gives  some  interesting  examples, 
which  may  Ije  admitted  here : 

"  The  Caribs  lament  loudly,  their  wailings  being  interspersed  with  com- 
ical remarks  and  questions  to  the  dead  as  to  why  he  preferred  to  leave  this 
world,  having  everything  to  make  life  comfortable.  They  place  the  corpse 
on  a  little  seat  in  a  ditch  or  grave  four  or  five  feet  deep,  and  for  ten  days 
they  Ijring  food,  requesting  tlie  corpse  to  eat.  Finally,  being  convinced 
that  the  dead  will  neither  eat  nor  retiu'n  to  life,  they  throw  the  food  on  the 
head  of  the  corpse  and  fill  u])  the  grave." 

When  one  died  among  the  Romans,  the  nearest  parents  embraced  the 
body,  closed  the  eyes  and  mouth,  and  when  one  was  about  to  die  received 
the  last  words  and  siglis,  juid  then  loudly  called  the  name  of  tlie  dead,  finally 
bidding  an  eternal  adieu.  Tliis  ceremony  of  calling  the  deceased  by  name 
was  knowi  as  the  innchinixlhni,  and   was  a    custom   anterior  even  to  the 


l.'iHc.rliluil,   (Lis  Mgii.  ^  ilr  la  M(ii(,"  17  IJ.  I.  p.  I7:i  il  ,-,(./. 


■^H 


TUEOIJY  OF  SOAFIOLD  KUKIAL.  75 

f'oiuulatiou  of  Rome.  One  dying  aw<ay  from  home  was  immediately 
i-emo\cd  tliitlier,  in  order  that  tliis  niiglit  be  performed  with  greater  pro- 
priety, lu  Picardy,  as  hite  as  1743,  the  rehitives  tln-ew  themselves  on  the 
corpse  and  with  loud  cries  called  it  by  name,  and  up  to  1855  the  Mo- 
ravians of  Pennsylvania,  at  the  death  of  one  of  their  number,  performed 
mournful  musical  airs  on  brass  instruments  Irom  the  village  church  steeple 
and  again  at  the  grave.*  This  custom,  however,  was  probably  a  remnant  of 
the  ancient  funeral  observances,  and  not  to  prevent  premature  burial,  or, 
perhai)s,  to  scare  away  bad  spirits. 

W.  L.  Ilardistyt  gives  a  curious  example  of  log-burial  in  trees,  relat- 
ing to  the  Loucheux  of  British  America  : 

"They  inclose  the  body  in  a  neatly-hollowed  piece  of  wood,  and 
secure  it  to  two  or  more  trees,  about  six  feet  from  the  ground.  A  log  about 
eight  feet  long  is  first  split  in  two,  and  each  of  the  parts  carefully  hollowed 
out  to  the  required  size.  The  body  is  then  inclosed  and  the  two  pieces 
well  lashed  together,  preparatory  to  being  finally  secured,  as  before  stated, 
to  the  trees." 

With  regard  to  the  use  of  scaffolds  as  places  of  deposit  for  the  dead, 
the  following  theories  by  Dr.  W.  Gardner,  U.  S.  A.,  are  given : 

"If  wo  come  to  inquire  why  the  American  aborigines  placed  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  relatives  and  friends  in  trees,  or  upon  scaffolds  resembling 
trees,  instead  of  burying  them  in  tlie  ground,  or  burning  them  and  preserv- 
ing their  ashes  in  urns,  I  thini<  we  can  answer  the  inquiry  by  recollecting 
that  most  if  not  all  the  tribes  of  American  Indians,  as  well  as  other  nations 
of  a  higher  civilization,  believed  that  the  human  soul,  spirit  or  immortal 
part,  was  of  the  form  aiul  nature  of  a  bird,  and  as  these  are  essentially 
arboreal  in  their  habits,  it  is  quite  in  keeping  to  suppose  that  the  sonl-hird 
would  have  readier  access  to  its  former  home  or  dwelling-place  if  it  was 
placed  upon  a  tree  or  scaffold  than  if  it  was  buried  in  the  earth  ;  moret-vei', 
rom  this  lofty  eyrie  the  souls  of  the  dead  could  rest  secure  from  the  attacks 
of  wolves  or  other  profane  beasts,  and  guard  like  sentinels  the  homes  and 
hunting-gromids  of  their  loved  ones." 


r 


'  'I'l'c  wiili  T  is  iiii'iiiiiicd  liy  Mr.  .loliii  Hcuiy  l!(iiicr  liial  iliis  custom  Ntili  iirnvails  uot  only  iii 
Pfiinsylviuiiii,  Iml  iit  llic  Mnraviaii  wttliMiiriit  ol '.Saltiii,  Nurlli  Ciunliiiii. 
t  Ki'|i.  8iiiitli.s(iiiiaii  Iiibt.,  l.-'GU,  p.  'M'J. 


im 


76 


BOJIE  UOUSES. 


■ )  '  '. 
;  i  : 

l' 


'I'liis  statement  is  «,nven  because  of  a  corroborative  note  in  the  writer's 
l)ossession,  but  he  is  not  prepared  to  admit  it  as  correct  without  further 
iiivestig'atiou. 

PAUTIAL  SCAFFOLD  BURIAL  AND  OSSUAIUES. 

Under  this  heading  may  be  phiced  the  burials  whicli  consisted  in  first 
d'jv)o?iting  the  bodies  on  scatfohls,  where  they  were  alh>wed  to  remain  for  a 
varii'.bir  len<>tb.  ot  time,  after  whicli  the  bones  were  cleaned  and  deposited 
eitber  in  the  earth  or  in  si)ecial  structures  called  by  writers  "  bone-houses." 
Roman*  relates  the  following  concerning  the  Choctaws : 

"  The  following  treatment  of  the  dead  is  very  strange.  *  *  *  As 
soon  as  the  deceased  is  departed,  a  stage  is  erected  (as  in  the  annexed  plate  is 
represented)  and  the  corpse  is  laid  on  it  and  covered  with  a  bear  skin ;  if  he  bo 
a  man  of  note,  it  is  decorated,  and  the  poles  painted  red  with  vermillion  and 
bear's  oil ;  if  a  child,  it  is  put  upon  stakes  set  across  ;  at  this  stage  the  rela- 
tions come  and  weep,  asking  many  questions  of  the  corpse,  such  as,  why 
he  left  them  ?  did  not  his  wife  serve  him  well  ?  was  he  not  contented  with 
his  children  ?  had  he  not  corn  enough  ?  did  not  his  land  produce  suflficient 
of  everything  ?  was  he  afraid  of  his  enemies  ?  &c.  and  this  accompanied  by 
lou  1  lunvliiigs  ;  the  women  will  bo  there  constantly,  and  sometimes  with 
th(j  corrupted  air  and  heat  of  the  sun  faint  so  as  to  oblige  the  bystanders 
t<»  can-}'  them  home;  the  men  will  also  come  and  mourn  in  the  same  man- 
ner, but  in  the  night  or  at  other  unseasonable  times,  when  they  are  least 
likely  to  be  discovered. 

"  The  stage  is  fenced  nnmd  with  poles:  it  remains  thu«  h  certain  time 
but  not  a  fixed  sj)ace ;  this  is  .sometimes  extended  to  tiin'o  nr  foiu*  niunths, 
but  svldom  iiioic  than  half  that  time.  A  certain  set  of  venerable  old  Gen- 
tlemen who  w»»ftr  very  long  nails  as  a  distinguishing  badge  on  the  thumb, 
fore  and  middlf  finger  of  each  hand,  constantly  travel  through  the  nation 
(when  i  was  there,  i  was  told  there  were  but  fi\e  of  this  respectable  order)  that 
one  of  them  may  ac(iua"nt  those  concerned,  of  the  exjnration  of  this  period, 
whii'li  is  according  to  tli(;ir  own  fancy ;  the  day  being  come,  the  friends 
and  relations  assemble  near  the  stage,  a  fire  is  made,  and  the  resptictable 

•  Hist,  c.f  I'lorjilii,  177r>,  p.  88. 


OSSTJAKTES— NATCOEZ. 


77 


operator,  after  the  body  is  taken  down,  with  liis  nails  tears  the  remaining- 
flesli  oflf  tlie  bones,  and  throws  it  witli  the  entrails  into  the  fire,  where  it  is 
consumed ;  Hien  he  scrapes  the  bones  and  burns  the  scrapings  likewise ; 
tlie  head  being  painted  red  with  Vermillion  is  with  the  rest  of  the  bones  put 
into  a  neatly  made  chest  (which  ^or  a  Chief  is  also  made  red)  and  deposited 
in  the  loft  of  a  hut  built  for  that  purpose,  and  called  bone  house ;  eacli 
town  has  one  of  these ;  after  remaining  here  one  year  or  thereabouts,  if  he 
be  a  man  of  any  note,  they  take  the  chest  down,  and  in  an  assembly  of  rela- 
tions and  friends  they  weep  once  more  over  him,  refresh  the  colour  of  the 
head,  paint  the  box,  and  tlien  deposit  him  to  lasting  oblivion. 

"An  enemy  and  one  who  commits  suicide  is  buried  under  the  earth 
a»  one  to  be  directly  forgotten  and  unworthy  the  above  ceremonial  obse- 
quies and  mourning." 

Jones*  quotes  one  of  the  older  writers,  as  follows,  regarding  t!ie  Natchez 
tribe : 

"Among  the  Natchez  the  dead  were  either  inhumed  or  placed  in  tombs. 
These  tombs  were  located  within  or  very  near  their  tenijjles.  They  rested 
upcm  four  forked  sticks  fixed  fast  in  the  ground,  and  were  raised  some  three 
feet  above  the  earth.  About  eight  feet  long  and  a  foot  and  a  half  wide,  they 
were  prepared  for  the  reception  of  a  single  corpse.  After  the  body  was 
placed  upon  it,  a  basket-work  of  twigs  v.  as  woven  around  and  covered  with 
mud,  an  opening  being  left  at  the  head,  through  which  food  was  presented 
to  the  deceased  When  the  flesh  had  all  rotted  away,  the  bones  were  taken 
out,  placed  in  a  box  made  of  canes,  and  then  deposited  in  the  temple.  The 
conunon  dead  were  mourned  and  lamented  for  a  period  of  three  days. 
Those  wlio  fell  in  battle  were  honored  with  a  more  protracted  and  grievous 
lamentation." 

Martramf  gives  a  somewhat  different  account  from  Roman  of  burial 
among  the  Choctaws  of  Carolina: 

"  The  Chactaws  pay  tluir  last  duties  and  respect  to  the  deceased  in 
a  verv  different  manner.  As  soon  as  a  person  is  dead,  they  erect  a  scaf- 
fold 18  or  20  feet  high  in  a  grove  adjacent  to  the  town,  where  they  lay 


-I 
■  k 


*  Aiiti<iiiitit»H  of  the  Southern  Imliaiis,  lei7H,  p.  105. 
t Biirtium's  Trnvols,  1791,  p.  51(). 


78 


OSSITAUIES-IIJOQUOIS. 


liiti 


m. 


Ill 


m 


tho  corps,  lightly  covered  with  a  mantle;  hero  it  is  suffered  to  remain, 
visited  and  protected  by  tlie  friends  and  relations,  until  the  flesh  becomes 
])ntrid,  so  as  easih-  to  part  from  the  bones ;  th(>n  undertakers,  who  make  it 
their  l)usiness,  carefully  strip  the  flesh  from  tlie  bones,  wash  and  cleanse 
them,  and  when  dry  and  jjurified  by  the  air,  having  provided  a  curiously- 
wrought  chest  or  coffin,  fabricated  of  bones  and  splints,  they  })lace  all  the 
bones  tlierein,  which  is  deposited  in  tlie  bone-house,  a  building  erected  for 
that  purpose  in  every  town;  and  when  this  house  is  full  a  general  solemn 
funeral  takes  place;  when  the  nearest  kindred  or  friends  of  the  deceased,  on 
a  day  appointed,  repair  to  the  bone-house,  take  up  the  respective  coffins, 
and,  following  one  another  in  order  of  seniority,  the  nearest  relations  and 
connections  attending  their  res})ective  corps,  and  tho  nmltitude  following 
after  the.  i,  all  as  one  family,  with  united  voice  of  alternate  allelujah  and 
lamentation,  slowly  proceeding  on  to  the  place  of  general  intennent,  when 
the}'  i)lace  the  coffins  in  order,  foi'ming  a  pyramid  ;*  and,  lastly,  cover  all 
over  with  earth,  whicli  raises  a  conical  hill  or  mount;  when  they  return  to 
town  in  order  of  solenni  procession,  concluding  the  day  with  a  festival, 
which  is  called  tho  feast  of  the  dead." 

SLorganf  also  alludes  to  this  mode  of  burial : 

"  The  body  of  the  deceased  was  exposed  upon  a  bark  scaffolding 
erected  upon  poles  or  secured  upon  the  limbs  of  trees,  Avhere  it  was  left  to 
waste  to  a  skeleton.  After  this  had  been  effected  by  the  process  of  decom- 
position in  the  open  air,  the  bones  were  removed  either  to  the  former  house 
of  the  deceased,  or  to  a  small  bark-house  by  its  side,  prepared  for  their 
reception.  In  this  maimer  the  skeletons  of  the  whole  family  were  preserved 
from  generation  to  generation  by  the  filial  or  pjirental  affection  of  the  living. 
After  the  lapse  of  a  num])er  of  years,  or  in  a  season  of  public  insecurity, 
or  on  the  eve  of  abandoning  a  settlement,  it  was  customary  to  collect  these 
skeletons  from  tho  whole  connnunity  around  and  consign  them  to  a  com- 
mon resting-place. 

"  To  this  custom,  which  is  not  confined  to  the  Iroquois,  is  doubtless  to 

*  "  Somi'  iiiKi'iiioiis  im-n  wlioiu  I  haw  conviTscd  with  liavt^  Kivcii  it  as  their  oi)iiii(m  (hat  nil  thowo 
liyrainidal  iirtiticial  hills,  usually  calli'il  Indian  inoiiiids,  wnv  raised  on  Hun  (iceasiun,  and  are  ({uiie,. 
rally  wpnlelu  r.s.     However,  I  am  of  dilierent  iipiniim." 

t  l,eai,nie  iif  the  IrDciUdiN,  lMr,l,  p.  17:{. 


OSSUAUIES. 


79 


1)0  a8('rn)C(l  the  burrows  and  bono-mounds  wlii(;li  have  boon  found  in  such 
numbers  in  varK)U8  parts  of  tlio  country.  On  opening  these  mounds  tlio 
skeletons  are  usually  found  arranged  in  horizontal  la3-ors,  u  conical  pyra- 
mid, those  in  each  layer  radiating  from  a  common  center.  In  other  cases 
thoy  are  found  placed  promiscuously." 

1).  0.  Brinton*  likewise  gives  an  account  of  tho  interment  of  collected 
bones : 

"  East  of  the  Mississippi  nearly  every  nation  was  accustomed  at  stated 
periods — usually  once  in  eight  or  ten  years — to  collect  and  clean  the  osseous 
remains  of  those  of  its  number  who  had  died  in  the  intervening  time,  and 
inter  them  in  one  common  sei)ulcher,  lined  with  i^hoico  fins,  and  marked 
witli  a  mound  of  wood,  stone,  or  earth.  Such  is  the  origin  of  those  im- 
mense tumuli  tilled  with  the  mortal  remains  of  nations  and  generations, 
which  the  anti(piary,  with  irreverent  ciu'iosity,  so  frerptently  chances  upon 
in  all  portions  of  our  territory,  '^rhroughout  Central  America  the  same 
usage  obtained  in  various  localities,  as  early  writers  and  existing  momi- 
ments  al)undantly  testify.  Instead  of  interring  tho  bones,  were  they  those 
of  some  distinguished  chiftain,  they  were  deposited  in  the  temples  or  tho 
oouncil-houses,  usually  in  small  chests  of  canes  or  splints.  Such  wore  tho 
ch.arnel-houses  which  tho  historians  of  Do  Soto's  expedition  so  often  men- 
tion, and  these  are  the  'arks'  Adair  and  other  authors  who  have  sought  to 
trace  the  descent  of  tho  Indians  from  the  Jews  have  likened  to  that  which 
tho  ancient  Israelites  bore  with  them  in  their  migration.s. 

"A  widow  among  the  Tahkalis  was  obliged  to  carry  the  bones  of  her 
deceased  husband  wherever  she  went  for  four  years,  preserving  thorn  in 
such  a  casket,  handsomely  decorated  with  feathers  (Rich.  Arc.  Exp.,  p.  2G0). 
Tiie  Caribs  of  the  nuiinland  adoi)ted  the  custom  for  all,  without  exception. 
About  a  }ear  after  death  the  bones  were  cleaned,  bleached,  painted, 
wrajiped  in  odorous  balsams,  placed  in  a  wicker  basket,  and  kept  suspended 
from  tho  door  of  their  dwelling  (Gumilla  Hist,  del  Orinoco  I.,  pp.  IDi), 
202,  204).  When  the  quantity  of  these  heirlooms  became  burdensome 
they  wore  removed  to  some  inaccessible  cavern  and  stowed  away  with  rev- 
erential care." 


•:||f 


•Myths  of  ihi'  Ninv  World,  18C8,  p.  255. 


y    i* 


/    '•■i 


80 


(^,OL(!()TIlAS— MANDANS. 


I 


Mi 


f 
m 


Georgo  Catlin*  doscribos  what  he  calls  tho  "Golyothas"  of  the  Mandaiis: 

"  Tlioro  arc  several  of  these  golgothas,  or  circles  of  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  ill  (lianu'ter,  and  in  the  center  of  each  ring  or  circle  is  a  little  mound  of 
tiiree  feet  higli,  on  which  uniformly  rest  two  htiHiilo  skulls  (a  male  an  1 
female),  and  in  the  center  of  the  little  mound  is  erected  'a  medicine  pole,' of 
about  twenty  feet  high,  supporting  many  curious  articles  of  myater>  and 
superstition,  wivlch  they  suppose  have  the  power  of  guarding  and  protect- 
ing this  sacred  arrangement. 

"  Here,  then,  to  tliis  strange  place  do  these  peojde  again  resort  to 
evince  their  further  allections  for  the  dead,  not  in  groans  and  lamentations, 
however,  for  several  years  have  cured  the  anguish,  but  fond  affection  and 
endearments  are  here  renewed,  and  conversations  are  here  held  and  cher- 
ished Avitli  the  dead.  Each  one  of  these  skulls  is  placed  upon  a  bunch  of 
wild  sage,  which  has  been  pulled  and  placed  under  it.  The  wife  knows,  by 
some  mark  or  resemblance,  the  skull  of  her  husband  or  her  child  which  lies 
in  this  group,  and  there  seldom  passes  a  day  that  she  does  not  visit  it  with 
a  dish  of  the  best-cooked  food  that  her  wigwam  affords,  which  she  sets 
before  the  skull  at  night,  and  returns  for  the  dish  in  the  morning.  As  soon 
as  it  is  discovered  that  the  sage  on  which  the  skull  rests  is  betrinnin"-  to 
decay,  the  woman  cuts  a  fresh  bunch  and  jjlaces  the  skull  carefully  upon 
it,  removing  tliat  which  was  under  it. 

"Independent  of  the  above-named  duties,  which  draw  the  women  to 
this  spot,  they  visit  it  from  inclination,  and  linger  upon  it  to  hold  converse 
and  company  with  the  dead.  There  is  scarcely  an  hour  in  a  pleasant  day 
but  more  or  less  of  these  women  may  be  seen  sitting  or  lying  by  the  skull 
of  their  child  or  husband,  talking  to  it  in  the  most  pleasant  and  endearing 
language  that  they  can  use  (as  they  were  wont  to  do  in  former  days),  and 
seemingly  getting  an  answer  back." 

From  these  accounts  it  may  be  seen  that  the  peculiar  customs  which 
have  been  described  by  the  authors  cited  were  not  confined  to  any  special 
tribe  or  area  of  country,  although  they  do  not  appear  to  have  prevailed 
among  the  Indians  of  the  northwest  coast,  so  far  as  known. 


'Hist.  N.  A.  Indiiuis,  1844, 1, p.  90. 


(UNOE  TUTIHAli-OLAM.AMH. 


81 


HUl'HltTEUUENE  AND  Ai:itlAL  JUJUIAL  JIN'  (JANOES. 

The  iK'xt  mode  of  liiirial  to  be  rciuiirkod  is  that  of  dopOHit  in  canoes, 
eithcT  snjjportcd  on  ))OHts,  on  tliojiroinid,  or  swnn^''  from  treos,  and  is  com- 
mon only  to  the  triix's  inhabiting'  tlic  northwest  coast.  From  ii  nnnd)er  of 
cMimph's,  the  following,  relatin<>'  to  tlie  Clallams  and  furnished  by  the  Ivov. 
M.  Kolls,  missionary  to  the  Skokoniish  A;,f(Muy,  Washington  Territory,  is 
selected : 

"  Tlio  doceasc^l  was  a  woman  abont  thirty  or  thirty-five  years  of  age, 
dead  ()f  consumption.  She  died  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  I 
went  to  the  house  to  attend  the  funeral.  Hhe  had  then  been  jjlaced  in  a 
Hudson's  liay  Company'!  box  for  a  cofKn,  which  Avas  abont  'A\  feet  hmg, 
1;|  wide,  and  lA  high.  She  was  very  poor  when  sIk^  died,  owing  to  her 
disease,  or  she  could  not  liave  been  ])ut  in  this  box.  A  tiro  was  burning 
near  by,  wherci  a  large  number  of  her  tilings  Jiad  been  consumed,  and  the 
rest  were  in  tlu'ce  boxes  near  the  colHn.  Her  mother  sang  the  mourning 
song,  sometimes  with  others,  and  often  saying  :  '  My  daughter,  my  daughter, 
why  did  von  die?'  and  similar  words.  The  burial  did  not  take  place  until 
the  next  day,  and  1  was  invited  to  go.  It  was  an  aerial  burial,  in  a  canoe. 
The  canoe  was  about  2f)  feet  hnig.  The  po.sts,  of  old  Indian  hewed  boards, 
were  about  a  foot  wide.  Holes  were  cut  in  these,  in  which  boards  were 
placed,  on  which  the  canoe  rested.  One  thing  1  noticed  while  this  ./as  done 
which  was  new  to  nie,  but  the  signiticance  of  which  1  did  not  h  arn.  As 
fast  as  the  holes  were  cut  in  the  posts  green  leaves  were  gathered  a:ul  jdaced 
over  the  holes  until  the  posts  wen^  j)ut  in  the  ground.  The  coffin-box 
and  the  three  others  containing  her  things  were  placed  in  the  canoe  ami  a 
roof  of  boards  made  over  the  central  part,  which  was  entirely  covered  witii 
white  cloth.  The  head  part  and  the  foot  part  of  her  bedstead  were  then 
nailed  on  to  the  pt)sta,  which  front  the  water,  and  a  dress  nailed  on  each  of 
these.  After  pronouncing  the  Ix^nediction,  all  left  the  hill  and  went  to  the 
beach  except  her  father,  mother,  and  bi'other,  who  remained  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes,  pouriding  on  the  canoe  and  mourning.  They  then  came  down 
and  mide  a  iiresent  to  those  j)ersons  who  were  there — a  gun  to  me,  a  blanket 
to  each  o!  tv,  o  or  three  others,  and  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  each  of  the  rest, 
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23  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WUSTfR.N.Y.  USSO 

(716)  •73-4503 


5' 
i 


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82 


CANOE  IIURIAL. 


there  being  about  fifteen  persons  present.  Throo  or  four  of  them  then 
made  short  speec^hes,  and  we  came  home. 

"The  reason  wliy  she  was  buried  thus  is  said  to  bo  because  sl»e  is  a 
jjiominont  woman  in  the  tribe.  In  about  nine  months  it  is  expected  that 
tliere  will  be  a  ^pot-lakh^  or  distribution  of  money  near  this  place,  and  as 
each  tribe  shall  come  they  will  send  a  delegation  of  .,.vo  or  three  men,  who 
will  carry  a  present  and  leave  it  at  the  grave ;  soon  after  that  shall  bo 
done  she  will  bo  buried  in  the  gn»und.  Shortly  after  her  death  both  her 
father  and  mother  cut  off  their  hair  as  a  sign  of  their  grief" 

George  Gibbs*  gives  a  mo.st  interesting  account  of  the  burial  ceremo- 
nies of  the  Indians  of  (Jregon  and  Washington  Territory,  which  is  hero 
reproduced  in  its  entirety,  although  it  contains  examples  of  other  modes  of 
burial  besides  that  in  canoes ;  but  to  separate  the  narrative  would  destroy 
the  thread  of  the  story  : 

"  The  conunon  mode  of  disj)osing  of  the  dead  among  the  fishing  tribes 
was  in  canoos.  These  '"oro  generally  drawn  into  the  woods  at  some  promi- 
nent j)oint  a  sli<»rt  distance  from  the  village,  and  sometimes  placed  between 
the  forks  of  trees  or  raised  from  tlie  ground  on  posts.  Upcn  the  Columbia 
River  the  Tsindk  liad  in  particular  two  very  noted  cemeteries,  a  high  iso- 
lated bluff  about  three  miles  l)elow  the  mouth  of  the  Cowlits:,  called  Mount 
C(»fliu,  and  one  some  distance  above,  called  Coffin  Rock.  The  former 
would  appear  not  to  have  been  very  ancient.  Mr.  Uroughton,  one  of  Van- 
couver's lieutenants,  who  explored  the  river,  makes  mention  only  of  several 
canoes  at  this  place ;  and  Lewis  and  Clarke,  who  noticed  the  mount,  do  not 
speak  of  them  at  all,  but  at  the  time  of  Captain  Wilkes's  expedition  it  is  con- 
jectured that  there  were  at  least  3,000.  A  fire  caused  by  the  carelessness 
of  <»ue  of  his  party  destroyed  the  whole,  to  the  great  indignation  of  the  In* 
dians. 

"Captain  lielcher,  of  the  Hritish  ship  Sulphur,  who  visited  the  river  in 
1S.';!I,  remarks:  '  In  the  year  1830  [1826]  the  snuill-pox  made  great  rav- 
ages, and  it  was  followed  a  few  years  since  by  the  ague.  Consequently 
(Jttrpse  Island  and  Coffin  Mount,  as  well  as  the  adjacent  shores,  were  studded 
not  only  with  canoes,  but  at  the  period  of  our  visit  the  skulls  and  skeletons 

•Cont  N.  A.  Ethnol.,  1877,  1,  p.  200. 


BURIAL  nOTTSES— COLTTMTIIA  RIVKR. 


83 


wore  strewed  about  in  all  <lireoti(»nH.'  This  method  <renornlly  prevailed  on 
the  neighboring  coasts,  as  at  Shoal  Water  Bay,  &e.  Farther  up  the  Colum- 
bia, as  at  the  Cascades,  a  different  form  was  adopted,  whith  is  ilius  described 
by  Captain  Clarke : 

"About  half  a  mile  below  this  house,  in  a  very  thick  pari  of  the  woods, 
is  an  ancient  Indian  burial-place  ;  it  consists  of  eight  vaults,  made  of  i)ino 
or  cedar  boards,  closely  connected,  about  eight  feet  scpjare  and  six  in 
height,  the  top  securely  covered  with  wide  boards,  sloping  a  little,  so  as  to 
convey  off  the  rain.  The  direction  of  all  tht.^o  is  east  and  west,  the  door 
being  on  the  eastern  side,  and  partially  stopped  with  wide  boards,  decorated 
with  rude  pictures  of  men  and  other  .animals.  On  entering  we  found  in 
some  of  them  four  dead  bodies,  carefully  wra))ped  in  skins,  tied  with  cords 
of  grass  and  bark,  lying  on  a  mat  in  a  direction  east  and  west;  the  other 
vaidts  contained  only  bones,  which  in  some  of  them  wei'e  ])il(ul  to  n  height 
of  four  feet;  on  the  tops  of  the  vaults  and  on  poles  attached  to  ihom  hung 
brass  kettles  and  frying-pans  with  holes  in  their  bottouis,  baskets,  bowls, 
sea-shells,  skins,  ])iece8  of  cl(4h,  hair  bags  of  trinkets,  and  small  bones,  the 
offerings  of  friendship  or  aii'ection,  which  have  been  saved  by  a  jiious  ven- 
eration from  the  ferocity  of  war  or  the  more  dangerous  temptation  of  indi- 
vidual crain.  The  Avhole  of  the  walls  as  well  as  the  door  were  decorated  with 
strange  figures  cut  and  painted  on  them,  and  besides  these  were  several 
wooden  images  of  men,  some  of  them  so  old  and  decayed  as  to  have  almost 
lost  their  shape,  which  were  all  placed  against  the  sides  of  the  vault. 
These  images,  as  well  as  those  in  the  houses  we  have  lately  seen,  do  not 
appear  to  be  at  all  the  objects  of  .uloration  in  this  place ;  they  were  most 
jirobably  intended  as  resemblances  of  those  whose  <lecease  they  indicate; 
and  when  we  observe  them  in  houses  they  occupy  the  most  conspicuous 
part,  but  arc  treated  more  like  ornaments  than  objects  of  worshi[).  Near 
the  vaults  which  are  still  standing  are  the  remains  of  others  on  the  groimd, 
completely  rotted  and  covered  with  moss ;  and  as  they  are  formed  of  the 
most  durable  pine  and  cedar  timber,  there  is  every  appearance  that  for  a  very 
long  series  of  yeai-s  this  retired  spot  has  been  the  depository  for  the  Indians 

near  this  jdace." 

"Another  depository  of  this  kind  upon  an  island  in  the  river  a  few 


I 


84 


BUHIAL  BOXKS— MAKAn. 


miles  above  "-ave  it  the  name  of  Sc-ptilclier  Island.  The  Watlala,  a  tribe  of 
til.  l'i)i)er  Tsinuk,  whose  l>urial  i)lace  is  here  descnbod,  are  now  nearly 
extinct ;  Imt  a  number  of  the  sei)ulcliers  still  remain  in  different  states  of 
jneservatioii.  The  position  of  the  body,  as  noticed  by  Clarke,  is,  I  believe, 
of  universal  observance,  the  head  beiny  always  placed  to  the  west  The 
reason  assi;.nied  to  nie  is  that  the  road  to  the  utr-md-us-iUa-hve,  the  country 
of  the  dead,  is  toward  the  west,  and  if  they  place  them  otherwise  they 
would  be  confused.  Kast  of  the  ( 'a.scade  Mountains  the  tribes  who.se  habits 
are  e(]ue.strian,  and  who  usi-  canoes  only  for  ferria^jre  or  transportation  pur- 
l)oses,  burv  their  dead,  usually  heapin;;'  over  them  piles  of  stones,  either 
to  mark  the  spot  or  to  prevent  the  botlies  from  being  exhumed  by  the  prairie 
wolf  Amon^  the  Vakamas  we  saw  many  of  their  graves  placed  in  con- 
spicuous points  of  the  basaltic  walls  which  lin<'  the  lower  valleys,  and  desig- 
nated bv  a  clumi)  of  poles  planted  over  them,  from  which  fiuttered  various 
articles  of  dress.  Formerly  these  prairie  tribes  killed  horses  over  the 
jrraves — a  custom  n<t\v  falling  into  disuse  in  conseijuencoof  the  teachings  of 
the  whites. 

"UiHinPuget  Sound  all  the  forms  (detain  indifferent  localities.  Among 
the  .Makali  of  ('ajx'  Flattery  the  graves  are  covered  with  a  sort  of  box,  rudely 
constructed  of  boards,  and  cLsfwhere  on  the  Souml  the  same  method  is 
adopted  in  some  casi's,  while  in  others  tint  bodies  are  jjlaced  in\  elevate<l 
scaifolds.  As  a  general  thing,  however,  th<?  Indians  upon  the  water  |)laced 
the  dead  in  cano(\s,  while  thos(^  at  a  distance  from  it  buried  them.  Most  of 
the  graves  are  sinrounded  with  strips  of  cloth,  blankets,  and  other  articles 
of  proj)erty.  Mr.  Cameron,  an  I'Jiglish  gentleman  residing  at  Escpiinudt 
Harbor,  N'ancouver  Island,  in*'inned  me  that  on  his  jdace  there  were  graves 
having  at  each  corner  a  large  stone,  the  interior  sjjace  filled  with  rubbish. 
The  origin  of  the.se  was  unknown  to  the  jiresent  Indians. 

"The  di.stinctions  of  rank  or  wealth  in  all  cases  were  very  marked ; 
persons  of  no  consideration  and  slaves  being  buried  with  very  little  care  or 
respect.  Vancouver,  whose  attentittn  was  particularly  attracted  to  their 
methods  ui  disposing  of  the  dead,  mentions  that  at  Port  Discovery  he  saw 
baskets  suspended  to  the  trees  containing  the  skeletons  of  young  children, 
and,  what  is  not  easily  explained,  small  square  boxes,  containing,  apparently, 


BUKIAL  noXEH  AM)  t'ANOES. 


85 


food.  I  flo  not  think  that  any  of  thoHO  tribes  phico  articles  of  food  with  tlio 
deac^  nni-  have  I  been  able  to  learn  from  liviiifr  Indians  that  they  formerly 
followed  that  practice.  What  he  took  for  snch  I  do  not  nnderstand.  He 
also  mentions  seeinj;'  in  the  same  jjlace  a  cleaned  space  recently  burned 
over,  in  which  the  skulls  and  bones  of  a  number  lay  anion*;-  the  ashes.  The 
practice  of  burniii}^-  tlie  dead  exi.sts  in  |>arts  of  California  and  amonj^'  the 
Tshimsyan  of  Fort  Simpson.  It  is  also  pursued  by  the  "Carriers"  of  New 
California,  but  no  intermediato  tribes,  to  my  ku(»wledye,  follow  it.  Cer- 
taiidy  those  of  the  Sound  do  not  at  present. 

"It  is  clear  from  \'ancouver's  narrative  that  some  great  epidemic  had 
re(!ontly  passed  through  the  country,  as  manifested  by  the  quantity  of  human 
remains  uncared  for  and  exposed  at  the  time  of  his  visit,  and  verj'  |)roba- 
bly  the  Indians,  being  afraid,  had  burned  a  house,  in  which  the  inhabitants 
had  perished  with  the  dead  in  it.  This  is  frequently  done.  They  almost 
invariably  remove  from  any  place  where  sickness  has  pre\ailed,  generally 
destroving  the  house  also. 

"At  Penn  Cove  Mr.  Whidbey,  one  of  Vancouver's  officers,  noticed 
several  sepnlchers  forsned  exactly  I'ke  a  sentry-box.  Some  of  them  were 
open,  and  contain:Hl  the  skeletons  of  many  young  children  tied  np  in 
baskets.  The  smaller  bones  of  adults  Avere  likewise  noticed,  but  not  one 
of  the  limb  1)ones  was  found;  which  gave  rise  to  an  opinion  that  these,  by 
the  living  inhabitants  of  the  neighborhood,  were  apjiropriated  to  useful  pur- 
poses, such  as  pointing  their  arrows,  spears,  or  other  weapons, 

"  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  .such  a  practice  is  altogether  for- 
eign t()  Indian  charactt'r.  The  bones  of  the  adults  had  probably  been 
removed  and  buried  elsewhere,  'i'he  corpses  of  children  are  variously  dis- 
posed of;  sometimes  by  suspending  them,  at  others  by  jdacing  in  the  ludlows 
of  trees  A  cemetery  devoted  to  infants  is,  however,  an  unusual  occurrets.v 
In  cases  of  chiefs  or  men  of  note  much  pomp  was  used  in  the  accomj)ani- 
ments  of  the  rite.  The  canoes  were  of  great  size  and  value — the  war  or 
state  canoes  of  the  deceased.  Frequently  one  was  inverted  over  that  ludd- 
in<'-  the  bodv,  and  in  one  instance,  near  Shoalwater  Bay,  the  corpse  was 
deposited  in  a  small  canoe,  which  again  was  placed  in  a  larger  one  and  cov- 
ered with  a  third.     Among  the  Tdnuk  and  Tsihalis  tlse  tanmhm-m  board  of 


'i 


86 


BUlllAL  SACUIFICE— TSIN  0  K. 


the  owner  was  placed  near  him.  The  Puget  Sound  Indians  do  not  make 
those;  (aniahio-us  boards,  but  tliey  aouiotimes  constructed  effigies  of  tlieir 
iliiei's,  resembling  the  person  us  nearly  as  possible,  dressed  in  his  usual 
costume,  and  wearing  the  articles  of  which  he  was  fond.  One  of  these,  rep- 
resenting the  Skagit  chief  Sneestum,  stood  very  conspicuously  upon  a  high 
l)ank  on  the  eastern  side;  of  WhidlK-y  Island.  The  figures  observed  by 
C'ai)tain  Clarke  at  the  Cascades  wore  either  of  this  description  or  else  the 
carved  posts  which  had  ornamented  the  interior  of  tho  houses  of  the 
deceased,  and  wen;  ct)nnected  with  Mie  superstition  oi  \\w,  tamahno-us.  Tho 
most  valuabh;  articles  of  properly  were  jmt  into  or  hung  up  around  tho 
grave,  being  first  carefully  rendered  unser\iceuble,  and  the  living  family 
were  literally  strip|»ed  ti>  do  honor  to  the  dead.  No  little  self-denital  must 
have  been  i)ra('ti('(!d  in  jtarting  with  artirics  so  precious,  but  those  interested 
frcMpienfly  had  the  least  (<»  say  on  flic  subject.  The  graves  of  women  wore 
distinguished  liy  a  cnj),  a  Kanias  stick,  or  other  implement  of  their  occupa- 
tion, and  bv  articles  of  dress. 

"Slaves  were  killed  in  proportion  to  the  rank  and  wealth  of  the  deceased. 
In  some  instances  they  were  starved  to  death,  or  oven  tied  to  the  dead  body 
and  left  to  perihh  thus  horribly.  At  present  this  practice  has  been  almost 
entirely  given  n|),  but  till  n  itiiiii  a  very  few  years  it  was  not  uncommon. 
A  case  which  occurred  in  1850  has  been  already  mentioned.  Still  later,  in 
l.S5i{,  'i'oke,  a  Tsinfdv  chief  living  at  Shoalwater  Bay,  undertook  to  kill  a 
slave  girl  belonging  to  his  daughter,  who,  in  dying,  had  requested  that  this 
might  Ite  done,  'i'lie  woman  lied,  and  was  found  by  some  citizens  in  tho 
woods  half  starved.  Her  master  attempted  to  reclaim  her,  but  was  soundly 
thrashed  and  warned  against  another  attempt. 

"It  was  usual  in  the  case  of  chiefs  to  renew  or  repair  for  a  considerable 
length  of  time  the  materials  and  ornaments  of  the  burial-place.  With  tho 
conmion  class  of  persons  famil)-  piide  or  domestic  affection  was  satisfied 
with  the  gathering  togetlie-r  of  the  bones  after  the  flesh  liad  decayed  and 
wraj)ping  them  in  a  new  mat.  The  violation  of  the  grave  was  always 
regai-ded  as  an  ofllense  of  the  first  magnitude  and  provoked  severe  revenge. 
(Japtain  IJelcher  remarks:  'Great  secrecy  is  observed  in  all  their  burial 
ceremonies,  partly  from  fear  of  Europeans,  and  as  among  themselves  they 


BUHIAI.  SACiai'K;!:. 


87 


will  instantly  puniHli  by  death  any  violation  of  the  tomb  or  wa}?o  war  if 
l»er|H'tratiMl  by  another  tribe,  so  they  are  inveterate  and  tenaeeonsly  bent  on 
reven«ro  Hhould  thin-  discover  that  any  act  of  the  kind  has  been  jjcrpetrated 
by  a  white  man.  It  is  on  record  that  i)art  t>f  the  crew  of  a  vessel  on  hor 
return  to  this  port  (the  Cohnnbia)  suffered  bcjcauso  a  person  who  belonged 
to  her  (but  not  tlien  in  her)  was  known  to  have  taken  a  skull,  which,  from 
the  process  of  flattenin<>',  had  become  an  object  <>f  curiosity.'  He  adds, 
however,  that  at  the  period  of  his  visit  to  the  river  'the  skulls  and  skele- 
tons were  scattered  about  in  all  directions;  and  as  I  was  on  most  of  their 
jiositions  unnoticed  by  the  natives,  I  suspect  the  feeliny  does  not  extend 
n  ich  beyond  their  relatives,  and  then  only  till  decay  has  destroyed  body, 
goods,  and  chattels.  The  chiefs,  no  doubt,  are  watched,  as  their  canoes  are 
repainted,  decorated,  and  greater  tare  taken  by  placing  them  in  sequestered 
spots.' 

"  The  motive  for  sacrificing  or  destroying  propert}'  on  occasion  of 
death  will  be  referred  to  in  treating  of  their  religious  ideas.  Wailing  for 
the  dead  is  continued  for  a  long  time,  and  seems  to  be  rather  a  oeremoniai 
performance  than  an  act  of  sjiontaneous  grief.  The  duty,  of  ccmrse,  belongs 
to  the  woman,  and  the  early  morning  is  usually  cho.sen  for  the  purpose. 
They  go  out  alone  to  some  place  a  little  distant  from  the  lodge  or  cnujp, 
and  in  a  loud,  sobbing  voice  repc^at  a  sort  of  stereotyped  formula,  as,  for 
instjvnce,  a  mother,  on  the  loss  of  her  child,  'Ah  >n'ahh  shed-da  hud-dah  ah  ta 
hud!  ad-dv-dah,  Ah  chief!'  'My  child  dead,  alas!'  When  in  dreams  they 
see  any  of  their  deceased  friiMids  this  lamentation  is  renewed." 

With  most  of  the  Northwest  Indiana  it  was  quite  common,  as  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Gibbs,  to  kill  or  bury  with  the  dead  a  living  slave,  who,  fail- 
ing to  die  within  three  days  was  strangled  by  another  slave,  but  the  custom 
has  also  prevailed  among  other  tribes  and  peoples,  in  many  cases  the  indi- 
vidvala  offering  themselves  as  voluntary  sacrifices.  Bancroft  states  "that  in 
Panama,  Nata,  and  some  other  districts,  when  a  cacique  died  those  of  his 
concubines  that  loved  him  enough,  those  that  he  loved  ardently  and  so 
appointed,  as  well  as  certain  servants,  killed  themselves  and  were  interred 
with  him.     This  they  did  in  order  that  they  might  wait  upon  him  in  the 


■I 


ill 


% 


S8 


in  IMAI V(,>rATK-liOSIl  ITt'X 


land  nf  spirifs"     It   is  will   kii(»wii  t<»  all   leiKlcru  of  history  to  what  tin 
cxnviuo  thih  reviiltiii','-  piiutice  has  pivvaili'd  in  Mixico,  South  Ainerini,  uiul 

Africa. 

AQUATIC  lUUIAI;. 

As  a  ((Hifiniu'd  rite  or  cereinoiiv,  this  mode  of  disposinff  of  tho  dead 
has  never  been  Idlluwud  by  any  of  nnr  North  Anieriean  Indians,  althonj^h 
occasionally  the  dead  have  been  disposed  of  by  sinking  in  sprinj^s  or  water- 
courses, bv  tluowinji-  int«»  the  si-a,  (tr  by  scttiMj^-aHoat  in  caiutes.  Anionj^-  the 
nations  of  anti(|uit\  the  practice  was  not  uncommon,  for  we  are  informed 
that  the  Ichtlivopiia^n,  or  li>li-eaters,  mentioned  by  Ptolemy,  livinjr  in  n 
region  l)orderinj:- on  tlu'  Persian  (Julf,  invariably  eonunitted  their  dead  to 
the  sea,  thus  repavin<;'  the  obliifatioiis  they  had  incurred  to  its  inhabitants. 
The  i.otophaj^ians  did  the  same,  and  tlie  ilyperb(>reuns,  with  a  connnen«l- 
al)le  degree  of  foretliou^'-ht  for  ihe  survivors,  when  ill  or  about  to  die,  threw 
themselves  into  the  sea.  Tlie  burial  of  Haldor  "the  beautiful,"  it  may  bo 
reniend)ered.  was  in  a  lii^ihly  d;corated  shii),  which  was  pushed  down  to  tho 
sea,  .set  on  iire,  and  couiuiitted  to  the  waves.  The  Itzas  of  Gnatennda,  liv- 
ing-on  the  islands  of  Lake  I'eter.  according  to  Bancroft,  are  said  to  have 
thrown  tiieir  dead  into  the  lake  for  want  of  room.  The  Indians  of  Nootka 
Sound  and  tlie  ( 'hino<»ks  were  in  the  habit  of  thus  getting  rid  of  their  dead 
slaves,  and,  accon!ing  to  Tindierlake,  the  ('herokees  of  Tennessee  "seldom 
bury  the  dead,  !»ut  threw  them  into  the  river." 

After  a  careful  search  for  well-authenticated  instances  of  burial,  aquatic 
and  semi-a(|uutic,  but  two  have  been  found,  which  are  here  given.  Thu 
lirst  relates  to  the  Gosh-l'tes,  and  is  by  Capt.  J.  II.  Simpson:* 

"  Skull  A'alley,  which  is  a  part  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Desert,  and 
which  we  have  crossed  to-day,  Mr.  George  W.  Mean,  my  guide  over  this 
route  last  fall,  says  derives  its  name  from  the  number  of  skulls  which  have 
beeu  found  in  it,  ami  which  have  arisen  from  the  custom  of  the  Goshute 
Indians  burying  their  dead  in  springs,  which  they  sink  with  stones  or  kee[> 
ilowM  with  sti<ks.  Me  says  he  has  actually  seen  the  Indians  bury  their 
dead  in  tlii>  wa\  near  the  town  of  Provo,  where  he  resides." 

As   corr(»borati\e  (»f  this   statement.  Captain    Simp.son   mentions   in 

•  Esiiloiaiiou  Gnat  Salt  Luke  VuUiy,  Ululi,  leStf,  p.  48. 


"I 


IJVINO  SKIM  LCIIKHS. 


80 


another  pint  of  the  voliinie  thiit,  aniviiijr  at  i  spiin;,''  ono  ovoniiip,  fhoy  were 
ohlijrtMl  to  (li;r  out  th(!  skeleton  of  iiii  liuhaii  from  the  iniid  at  the  Itottoiii 
befonf  UHiiij,'  the  \vat«'r. 

Tliis  peeuHar  mode  of  burial  is  entirely  uni«|ne,  so  far  as  known,  and 
hut  from  the  well-known  prohitv  <»f  the  relator  nii<rht  well  he  (lueHtioiieij, 
UHpeeially  when  it  is  reineinheicd  that  in  the  (.'ountry  spoken  of  water  i« 
quite  sejirce  und  Indians  ai-e  carel'iil  not  to  polhite  the  streams  or  sprinjfs 
near  whieh  tlu'y  live.  Conjecture  seems  useless  to  establish  a  reason  for 
this  disposition  of  the  dund. 

The  second  example  is  by  f'atlin*  and  relates  to  tin;  Chinook: 
"*  *  *  This  little  cradle  has  a  strap  which  passes  over  the  woman's 
forehead  whilst  the  cradle  rides  on  her  back,  and  if  the  child  diesduriny  its 
subjection  to  this  ri;;id  mode  its  cradle  becomes  its  cofVm,  formin<,'  a  little 
canoe,  in  which  it  lies  lloatin;;-  on  the  water  in  some  sacred  pool,  where  they 
are  often  in  the  habit  of  fastenin^f  their  canoes  containiufi-  the  dead  bodies 
of  the  old  and  youn;;-,  or,  which  is  often  the  case,  elevated  into  the  branches 
of  trees,  where  their  bo(hes  are  left  to  decay  and  their  hones  to  dry  whilst 
they  are  bandajjred  in  many  skins  and  curiously  packed  in  their  canoes, 
with  paddles  to  |)ropel  and  ladles  to  bail  tlwui  out,  and  provisions  to  last 
and  pipes  to  smoki^  as  they  are  performiny  their  'l(tn<r  journey  after  death 
to  their  contem[)lated  hunting  grounds,'  which  these  people  think  is  to  be 
performed  in  their  caiu)es." 

LlVlXd  SKITLCIIEHS. 

This  is  iv  term  (piaintly  used  by  the  learned  M.  Pierre  Muret  to  express 
tlie  devouring  of  ihi'  dead  by  birds  and  animals  or  the  surviving  friends 
and  relatives.  Kxposure  of  tliedead  to  animals  and  birds  has  already  been 
mentioned,  but  in  the  absence  of  any  positive  proof  it  is  not  believed  that 
the  North  American  Indians  ftdlowed  the  custom,  although  cannibalism  may 
liavo  prevailed  to  a  limited  extent.  It  is  true  that  a  few  accounts  are  giv(>n 
by  authors,  but  these  are  considered  to  be  so  a])ochryphal  in  character  that 
for  the  present  it  is  deemed  prudential  to  omit  them.  That  such  a  means  of 
disposing  of  the  dead  was  not  in  practice  is  somewhat  remarkable  when  wo 

•  Hist.  Nortli  Auitrifiin  ImliiuM,  1«44,  ii,  i».  141. 


00 


MOlMfNIXC— CUOWS. 


tako  into  consideration  how  many  analoj^ios  liavo  boon  foinul  in  comjmrinpf 
old  and  now  world  i'lnuTal  (d)8('rvance8,  and  tho  statomcnts  niado  by  Hrnliior, 
I.afitan,  Mnrct,  and  others,  wlio  jfivc  a  luunhcr  of  o.\anii>les  of  tliis  neculiar 
niodo  of  bnrial. 

For  instance,  tho  Tartars  sometimes  ate  tlieir  dead,  and  tl»e  Massageties, 
Di'rhici's,  and  l^dedcns  did  the  same,  havinff  prcvionsly  stranj^led  the  a;;ed 
and  mixed  their  tlesh  with  mutton.  Horace  and  Tertnlian  ])oth  aflirm 
that  the  Irish  and  ancient  IJritons  devoured  tiie  dead,  and  Lafitau  remarks 
that  certain  Indians  of  South  Amerii-a  did  the  same,  esteen)in^'  this  mode 
of  disposal  m»»r(!  hon<»ral)le  and  much  to  be  preferred  than  to  rot  and  bo 
eaten  ]>y  worms.  To  tlu!  credit  of  our  sava<.feti,  this  barbanms  and  rov(»lt- 
in{^  practice  is  not  believed  to  have  been  practiced  by  them. 


MOUHNIMI,  VK.\STS,  FOOD,  DANf'ES,  SOXOS,  OAMKS,  VOSTS,  FIUKS,  AND 
HUI'KIISTITIONS  .  NKECTION  WITJI  BUHIAL. 

The  above  subjects  are  ^  ..  idental  with  burial,  and  some  of  tlieni, 
particularly  mourniuj^,  have  been  more  or  less  treated  of  in  this  pa])or,  yot 
it  may  be  of  advantage  to  here  {five  a  few  of  tho  collected  examplcH,  under 
separate  heads. 

MOtlRNINO. 

One  of  the  most  carefully  described  scenes  of  mourning  at  tho  death 
of  a  chief  of  the  Urows  is  related  in  the  life  of  lieckwourth,*  who  for  many 
years  lived  among  this  people,  tinally  attaining  great  diHtluction  as  a 
warrior. 

"I  disjjatched  a  herald  to  the  village  to  infonn  them  of  tho  head 
chief's  death,  and  then,  Ijurying  him  according  to  his  directions,  wo  slowly 
proceeded  homewards.  My  very  soul  sickened  at  the  contemplation  of  tho 
scenes  that  would  be  enacted  at  my  arrival.  When  wo  drew  in  sight  of  tho 
village,  we  found  every  lodge  laid  prostrate.  We  entered  amid  shrieks, 
cries,  and  yells.  Blood  was  streaming  from  every  conceivable  part  of  tho 
bodies  of  all  who  were  (»ld  eiutugh  to  comprehend  their  loss.  Hundreds  of 
fmgers  were  dismem1)en'd;  hair  torn  from  the  head  lay  in  profusion  about 
the  paths;  wails  and  moan.s  in  every  direction  assailed  the  car,  where  unre- 

"  Aul<>biii};rui»li.v  of  JitiiitH  Ui-ckwiiiirtli,  l«&<i,  i>.  2(4). 


M{)|Tl{N|N(;_(iin'pr,WAS. 


01 


Htininod  joy  had  ii  few  lioms   Ixlnio   prevailed.     This  iV-uHuI    luouniiii},' 
hiHtod  until  ovcnin;,'  of  the  next  duv.     »     »     » 

"A  hiTidd  hiiviii^r  l,„(,.|i  dispatched  to  our  otlker  vilhi^ros  to  aeipmiiit 
thoin  witli  th(i  (h'ath  of  our  head  rhief,  and  icupiost  fhein  U>  aHsend)h'  at. 
the  Hose  Hud,  in  onhr  to  meet  our  vilhifje  and  dovov  h^niHelveH  to  a 
{JToneral  time  of  moiuninj;,  there  met,  in  eonformity  with  this  sumnu.ns,  over 
ton  tliousand  Crows  at  the  phiee  iuihcated.  Such  a  Hcono  of  disonhrly, 
vociferous  monniinir  no  iuia^fination  can  conceive  nor  any  ]w\\  jK)rtray. 
Long  Hair  cut  ofta  larj,'e  roll  of  his  hair,  a  thin<f  he  was  never  known  to  do 
before.  The  cuttin;j^  and  hackiii},'  of  human  fiesli  e.xceeded  all  my  jn-evious 
experience;  fingers  were  dismendu'rvd  as  readily  as  twigs,  and  hlood  waH 
poured  out  like  wati'r.  Many  of  the  warriors  would  cut  two  gashes  nearly 
the  entire  length  of  their  arm  :  tiien,  separating  the  skin  from  tlu^  flesh  at  ono 
end,  would  grasp  it  in  their  (»ther  hand,  and  rip  it  asinuh.'r  to  the  shoulder. 
Others  would  carvo  various  d»niees  upon  their  breasts  and  shoulders,  and 
raise  the  skin  in  the  same  maimer  to  make  the  scars  show  to  advantajro 
after  the  wound  was  healed.  Some  of  their  mntilati(»ns  were  ghastly,  and 
my  heart  sickened  to  look  at  them,  but  they  would  not  appear  to  receive 
any  pain  from  them." 

From  I.  L  Mahan,  United  States  Indian  Agent  for  the  Chippewas  of 
Lake  Superior,  Rel  ('liff,  Wisconsin,  the  following  detailed  account  of 
mourning  has  been  received  : 

"  There  is  i)robably  no  people  that  exhibit  more  sorrow  and  grief  for 
their  dead  than  the)-.  'I'he  young  widow  mourns  the  loss  of  her  husband; 
by  day  as  by  night  she  is  heard  silently  .sobbing ;  she  is  a  constant  visitor 
to  the  place  of  rest;  with  the  greatest  reluctance  will  she  follow  the  raised 
cami).  The  friends  and  relatives  of  the  young  niounier  will  incessantly 
devise  methods  to  distract  her  mind  from  the  thought  of  her  lost  husband. 
She  refuses  nourishment,  but  as  nature  is  oxliausted  she  is  prevailed  upon  to 
partake  of  food;  the  sup[)ly  is  scant,  but  on  every  occasion  the  best  and  largest 
proportion  is  deposited  upon  the  grave  of  her  husband.  Intlie  mean  time 
the  female  relatives  of  the  deceased  have,  according  to  custom,  submitted 
to  her  charge  a  parcel  made  up  of  different  cloths  ornamented  with  l)ead- 
work  and  eagles'  feathers,  which  she  is  charged  to  keep  by  her  side — tlie 


ii 


1  'i 


Ij 


02 


MOI  ItNFNfl-CFIorTAWS. 


pluci)  iiindo  vacmit  \>y  tin*  donilHO  <»f  licr  liuHlmnd — a  romindcr  of  hor  widow- 
Iiood.  She  '\H  tlioivforo  for  u  term  of  twelve  niooiiH  not  periiiitteil  t(»  wonr 
jinv  liiierv.  neither  i«  Aw,  permitted  to  s^llekeii  up  mid  eoinb  her  lieud ;  this 
to  avoid  attractiiij,'  utteiition.  ( )iiet;  in  a  whil<>  a  female  relative  of  deceaHed, 
('ommiHeratiii<f  with  her  j^'rief  and  Horrow,  will  viwit  her  and  voluntarily 
proreed  t(t  ciaidi  out  the  lon<(-uej,dected  and  matted  hair.  With  a  jealous 
0)0  a  vi^ihiiit  watch  is  kept  over  her  conduct  durinj^  the  term  of  her  widow- 
liitod.  VL't  she  is  allowed  the  |irivile<fe  to  marry,  any  time  during'  lu-r 
widowhood,  an  unmarried  brother  or  cousin,  or  a  person  of  the  same  Ihdem 
[.s/t]  (t'amily  mark)  of  hei'  husband. 

"  At  the  expiration  of  her  term,  the  vows  having  \v  \\  faithfully  perfonu- 
t'd  and  kept,  the  female  relatives  of  deceased  assemble  a,^n<l,  with  groetinj^s 
commensm-afe  to  the  ((ccasidu,  })roceed  to  wash  her  face,  cond)  her  hair,  ami 
attire  herperso\i  with  new  apparel,  and  otherwise  demonstratiiifj  the  release 
iVuiii  lier  vow  and  restraint.  Still  she  has  iu)t  her  entire  freedom.  If  she 
will  .•itill  refuse  to  marry  a  relative  of  the  deceased  and  will  marry  another, 
she  then  has  t<»  purchase  her  freedom  by  giving  a  certain  amount  of  g(K)ds 
aiul  whatever  else  she  might  have  manufactured  during  her  widowhooil  in 
anti«'ipatiiin  of  the  future  now  at  hand.  Fretpiently,  though,  during  widow- 
hood the  vows  are  <lisregar(led  and  an  inclination  to  flirt  and  pluy  courtship 
or  form  an  alliance  of  marriage  outside  of  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  is 
being  indulged,  and  when  discovered  the  widow  is  set  upon  by  the  female 
relatives,  her  slick  braided  hair  is  shorn  close  up  to  the  back  of  her  neck, 
all  her  apparel  and  trinkets  are  torn  I'rom  her  person,  and  a  quarrel  fre- 
(piently  residts  fatally  to  souk;  member  of  one  or  the  other  side." 

The  hul>stitution  of  a  reminder  for  the  dead  husband,  made  from  rags, 
furs,  and  other  articles,  is  not  confined  alor.e  to  the  Chippewas,  other  tribes 
having  the  same  custom  In  some  instances  the  widows  are  obliged  to 
carry  around  with  them,  for  a  variable  period,  u  bundle  containing  the  bones 
of  the  deceased  consort. 

Benson*  gives  the  following  account  of  their  funeral  ceremonies, 
embracing  the  disposition  of  the  body,  mourning  feast  and  dance : 

"Their  funeral  is  styled  by  them  'the  last  cry.' 

*LH'o  atnuut;  tho  C'UactttWH,  1860,  p.  1014, 


'I*; 


nUIMAL  I'KA.STS. 


98 


"Wlu'M  tlu!  liiislmiHl  (lies  tin-  \'v'n>\nU  jishciuMc,  j»ropni(>  the  ffnivc,  and 
pliu'o  tlic  corps.,  ill  ;r,  hut  ,1(.  i,..t  lill  it  up.  Thf  ^niii,  l)(»w  1111*1  iirinws, 
liatclict  and  kiiire  aii;  difpo.sited  In  tlio  ^ruvo.  IN.lt'H  an«  planti'd  at  tlio 
lioad  and  tlu*  foot,  upon  wliich  tiiv^n  arc  placed;  the  gravu  in  then  I'licKmcd 
Ity  pickctH  driven  in  the  {.'round.  The  funeral  cereinoiiieH  now  l)e<riii,  the 
widow  heinjr  the  chief  mourner.  At  iiiMlit  and  iiiornin;,'  she  will  fro  to  ho 
{.Miive  and  pourfortii  the  most  pite(»UH  cri«  s  and  wailinjfs  It  is  not  impor- 
tant that  any  (ttlier  ineiiiher  of  the  family  shoulil  take  any  very  ai  tivo  part 
in  the  'cry,' tluMijrh  they  (ht  participate  to  soiiu  ( : -eiit. 

"The  widow  wholly  ne;;Iects  her  toilet,  whlii  she  daily  gooH  to  the 
grave  duriii}''  one  entire  moon  from  tlie  date  >vh(  ii  tiie  death  occurred.  On 
the  evening  of  the  last  day  of  the  moon  ''.e  friends  all  iissemhle  at  the 
cubii!  ■»!  the  disconsolate  widow,  bringing  provisions  for  a  sumptuous  least, 
which  ctmsists  of  corn  and  jerked  heef  hoiled  together  in  a  kettle.  While 
tlie  supper  is  preparing,  the  bereaved  wife  goes  tu  the  grave,  and  pours  out, 
with  unusual  vehemence,  her  bitter  wailings  and  lamentations.  When  the 
food  is  thoroughly  cooked  the  kettle  is  taken  from  the  fire  and  jdaced  in 
the  center  of  the  cabin,  and  the  friends  gather  around  it,  passing  the  buffalo- 
horn  spoon  from  hand  to  hand  and  from  mouth  to  mouth  till  all  have  been 
bountifully  .supplied.  While  sii|)per  is  being  served,  two  of  the  (ddest  men 
of  the  (company  (juietl\  withdraw  and  go  to  the  grave  and  fill  it  up,  taking 
down  the  flags.  All  then  join  in  a  dance,  which  not  iinfrequently  is  con- 
tinued till  inoniing;  the  widow  does  not  fail  to  unite  in  the  dance,  and  to 
contribute  her  part  to  the  festivities  of  the  (»cc.ision.  This  is  the  *  Idst  ert/,^ 
the  days  of  mourning  are  ended,  and  the  widow  is  now  ready  to  form 
another  matrimonial  alliance.  The  ceremonies  are  jH-ecisely  the  same 
when  Ji  man  has  lost  his  wife,  and  they  are  only  slightly  varied  when  any- 
other  member  of  the  family  has  died.  (Slaves  were  buried  without  cere- 
monies.)" 


FEASTS. 


In  Beltranu*  an  account  is  given  of  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  one  of 
the  tribes  of  the  west,  including  a  description  of  the  feast  wliich  took  place 
before  the  body  was  consigned  to  its  final  rofiting  place : 

"  I  was  a  spectator  of  the  funeral  ceremony  performed  in  honor  of  the 


if 


l! 


I 


'i 


*  Pilgriiiiiigo,  182S,  ii,  yi.  iVi. 


94 


BURIAL  FEASTS— nURONS. 


manes  of  Cloudy  Weather's'  son-in-law,  whoso  body  had  remained  with  the 
Sioux,  and  was  suspected  tr  liave  furnislied  one  of  tlieir  repasts.  What 
appeared  not  a  little  singular  and  indeed  ludicrous  in  this  funeral  comedy 
was  the  contrast  exhibited  by  the  terrific  lamentations  and  yells  of  one  part 
of  the  company  while  the  others  were  singing  and  dancing  with  all  their 
might. 

"  At  another  funeral  ceremony  for  a  member  of  the  Grand  Medicine, 
and  at  which  as  a  man  of  another  world  I  was  permitted  to  attend,  the  same 
practice  occurred.  But  at  the  feast  which  took  place  on  that  occasion  an 
allowance  was  served  up  for  the  deceased  out  of  every  article  of  which  it 
consisted,  while  others  were  beating,  wounding,  and  torturing  themselves, 
and  letting  their  blood  flow  both  over  the  dead  man  and  his  provisions, 
thinking  possibly  that  this  was  the  most  palatable  seasoning  for  the  latter 
which  they  could  possibly  supply.  His  wife  furnished  out  an  entertain- 
ment present  for  him  of  all  her  hair  and  rags,  with  which,  together  with  his 
arms,  his  provisions,  his  ornaments,  nnd  his  mystic  medicine  bag,  he  was 
wrapped  up  in  the  skin  which  had  been  his  last  covering  when  alive.  Ho 
was  then  tied  round  with  the  bark  of  some  particular  trees  which  they  use 
for  making  cords,  and  bonds  of  a  very  firm  texture  and  hold  (the  onl}'  ones 
indeed  which  they  have),  and  instead  of  being  buried  in  the  earth  was 
hung  up  to  a  large  oak.  The  reason  of  this  was  that,  as  his  favorite  Mani- 
tou  was  the  eagle,  his  spirit  would  be  enabled  more  easily  from  such  a 
situation  to  fly  with  him  to  Paradise." 

Hind*  mentions  an  account  of  a  burial  feast  by  De  Brebeuf  which 
occurred  among  the  Hurons  of  New  York: 

"  The  Jesuit  missionary,  P.  de  Brebeuf,  who  assisted  at  one  of  the 
'feasts  of  the  dead'  at  the  village  of  Ossosane,  before  the  dispersion  of  the 
Hurons,  relates  that  the  ceremony  took  place  in  the  presence  of  2,000  In- 
dians, who  offered  1,200  presents  at  the  common  tomb,  in  testimony  of  their 
grief  The  people  belonging  to  five  large  villages  deposited  the  bones  of 
Lheir  dead  in  a  gigantic  shroud,  composed  of  forty-eight  robes,  each  robe 
being  made  of  ten  beaver  skins.  After  being  carefully  wrapped  in  this 
shroud,  they  were  placed  between  moss  and  bark.     A  wall  of  stones  was 

*  Catuidiau  Kcd  River  Exploring  Expedition,  ISOO.ii,  p.  Ifi4. 


BURIAL  POOD  AND  DANCES. 


95 


built  around  thia  vast  ossuary  to  preserve  it  from  profanation.  Before 
covering  tlie  bones  with  eartli  a  fc^w  grains  of  Indian  corn  were  thrown  by 
the  women  upon  the  sacred  relics  According  to  the  superstitious  belief  of 
the  Ilurons  the  souls  of  the  dead  remain  near  the  bodies  until  the  'feast 
of  the  dead';  after  which  ceremony  they  become  free,  and  can  at  once 
depart  for  the  land  of  spirits,  which  they  believe  to  be  situated  in  the 
regions  of  the  setting  sun." 

SUPERSTITION    REGARDING   BURIAL   FEASTS. 

The  following  account  is  by  Dr.  S.  Gr.  Wright,  acting  physician  to  the 
Leech  Lake  Agency,  Minnesota ; 

"  Pagan  Indians,  or  tliose  who  have  not  become  Christians,  still  adhere 
to  the  anc*  mt  practice  of  feasting  at  the  grave  of  departed  friends ;  the 
object  is  to  feast  with  the  departed ;  that  is,  they  believe  that  while  they 
partake  of  the  visible  material  the  departed  spirit  partakes  at  the  same  time 
of  the  spirit  that  dwells  in  the  food.  From  ancient  time  it  was  customaiy 
to  bury  with  the  dead  various  articles,  such  especially  as  were  most  valued 
in  lifetime.  The  idea  was  that  tliere  was  a  spirit  dwelling  in  the  article 
represented  by  the  material  article ;  thus  the  war-club  contained  a  spiritual 
war-club,  the  pipe  a  spiritual  pipe,  which  could  be  used  by  the  departed  in 
another  world.  These  several  spiritual  implements  were  supposed,  of 
course,  to  acconii)any  the  soul,  to  be  used  also  on  the  waj'^  to  its  final 
abode.     This  habit  has  now  ceased.     *     * 


>* 

'Q 


I  I 


! 


I 


M^ 


*» 


FOOD. 

This  subject  has  been  sufficiently  mentioned  elsewhere  in  connection 
with  other  matters  and  does  not  need  to  be  now  repeated.  It  has  been  an 
almost  universal  custom  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  country  to 
place  food  in  or  near  the  grave  of  deceased  persons. 

DANCEa 

Gymnastic  exercises,  dignified  with  this  name,  upon  the  occasion  of  a 
death  or  funeral,  were  common  to  many  tribes.  It  is  thus  described  by 
Morgan  :* 

•  League  of  the  Iroquois,  1851,  p.  287. 


96 


DA_NCE  FOR  THE  DEAD. 


"An  occasional  and  very  singular  figure  was  called  the  'dance  for  the 
dead.'  It  was  known  as  the  0-h^-wa."  It  was  danced  by  the  women 
alone.  The  music  was  entirely  vocal,  a  select  band  of  singers  being  sta- 
tioned in  the  center  of  the  room.  To  the  songs  for  the  dead  which  they 
sang  the  dancers  joined  in  chorus.  It  was  plaintive  and  mournful  music. 
This  dance  was  usually  separate  from  all  councils  and  the  onU'-  dance  of  the 
occasion.  It  conuirnced  at  dusk  or  soon  after  and  continued  until  towards 
morning,  when  the  shades  of  the  dead  who  were  believed  to  be  present  and 
j)articipate  in  the  dance  were  supposed  to  disappear.  This  dance  was  had 
Avhenever  a  famil}'  which  had  lost  a  member  called  for  it,  which  was  usually 
a  year  after  the  event.  In  the  spring  and  fsill  it  was  often  given  for  all  the 
dead  indiscriminately,  who  were  believed  then  to  revisit  the  earth  and  join 
in  the  dance." 

Tiie  interesting  account  which  now  follows  is  by  Stephen  Powers,* 
and  relates  to  the  Yo-kai-a  of  California,  containing  other  matters  of  impor- 
tance pertaining  to  burial. 

"I  paid  a  visit  to  their  camp  four  miles  below  Ukiah,  and  finding  there 
a  unique  kind  of  assembly-house,  desired  to  enter  and  examine  it,  but  was 
not  allowed  to  do  so  initil  I  had  gained  the  confidence  of  the  old  sexton 
by  a  few  friendly  words  and  the  tender  of  a  silver  half  dollar.  The  pit  of 
it  was  about  50  feet  in  diameter  and  4  or  5  feet  deep,  and  it  was  so  heavily 
roofed  Avith  earth  that  the  interior  was  damp  and  somber  as  a  tomb.  It 
looked  like  a  low  tumulus,  and  was  provided  with  a  tunnel-like  entrance 
ab(nit  10  feet  long  and  4  feet  high,  and  leading  down  to  a  level  with  the 
floor  of  the  pit.  The  mouth  >f  the  tunnel  was  closed  with  brush,  and 
the  venerable  sexton  would  not  remove  it  until  he  had  slowly  and  devoutly 
paced  several  times  to  and  fro  before  the  entrance. 

"Passing  in  I  found  the  massive  roof  supported  by  a  number  of  peeled 
poles  painted  white  and  ringed  with  black  and  ornamented  with  rude 
devices.  The  floor  was  covered  thick  and  green  with  sprouting  wheat, 
which  liad  been  scattered  to  feed  the  spirit  of  the  captain  of  the  tribe,  lately 
deceased.  Not  long  afterward  a  deputation  of  the  Senel  came  up  to  con- 
dole with  the  Yo-kai-a  on  the  loss  of  their  chief,  and  a  dance  or  series  of  dances 

•  Cont.  to  North  American  Ethnol.,  1878,  iii,  p.  164. 


I)AN(n3  KOll  THE  ]>EAD— YO  KM  A. 


97 


was  held  which  histed  three  days.  During  this  time  of  course  the  Senel 
were  the  guests  of  the  Yo-kaf-a,  and  the  hitter  wer«'  subjected  to  a  consider- 
able expense.  I  was  prevented  by  other  engagements  from  being  present, 
and  shall  be  obliged  to  depend  on  the  description  of  an  eye-witness,  Mr. 
John  Tenney,  whose  account  is  here  given  with  a  few  changes : 

"There  are  four  officials  connected  with  the  building,  who  are  probably 
chosen  to  preserve  order  and  to  allow  no  intruders.  They  are  the  assist- 
ants of  the  chief  The  invitation  to  attend  was  from  one  ox  them,  and 
admission  was  given  by  the  same.  These  four  wore  black  vests  trimmed 
with  red  flannel  and  shell  ornaments.  The  chief  made  no  special  display 
on  the  occasion.  In  addition  to  these  four,  wiio  were  officers  of  the  assem- 
bly-chamber, there  was  an  old  m.an  and  a  young  woman,  who  seemed  to 
be  priest  and  priestess  The  young  woman  was  dressed  differently  from 
any  other,  the  rest  dressing  in  plain  calico  dresses.  Her  dr -ss  was 
white  covered  with  spots  of  red  flannel,  cut  in  neat  figures,  ornamented 
with  shells.  It  looked  gorgeous  and  denoted  some  office,  the  name  of  which 
I  could  not  ascertain.  Before  the  visitors  were  resuly  to  enter,  the  older 
men  of  the  tribe  were  reclining  around  the  fire  smoking  and  chatting.  As 
the  ceremonies  were  about  to  conunence,  the  old  man  and  young  woman 
were  summoned,  and,  standing  at  the  end  opposite  the  entrance,  they 
inaugurated  the  exercises  by  a  brief  service,  which  seemed  to  be  a  dedica- 
tion of  the  house  to  the  exercises  about  to  conmience.  Each  of  them  spoke 
a  few  words,  joined  in  a  brief  chant,  and  the  house  was  thrown  open  for 
their  visitors.  'I'liey  staid  at  their  post  until  the  visitors  entered  and  were 
seated  on  one  side  of  the  room.  After  the  visitors  then  others  were  seated, 
making  about  200  in  all,  though  there  was  plenty  of  room  in  the  center  for 
the  dancing. 

"  liefore  the  dance  conmienced  the  chief  of  the  visiting  tribe  made  a 
brief  si)eech,  in  which  he  no  doubt  referred  to  the  death  of  the  chief  of  the 
Yo-ka(-a,  and  offered  the  symi)athy  of  his  tribe  in  this  loss.  As  he  spoke, 
some  of  the  women  scarcely  refrained  from  crying  out,  and  with  difficulty 
they  sup|)re8sed  their  sobs.  I  presume  that  he  proposed  a  few  moments  of 
mourning,  for  when  he  stopped  the  whole  assemblage  burst  forth  into  a 
bitter  wailing,  some  screaming  as  if  in  agony.  The  whole  thing  created 
7  Y 


W-^ 


98 


DANCE  FOTt  THE  DEAD— TO  KAI-A. 


such  a  din  tliat  I  was  compelled  to  stop  my  ears.  The  air  was  rent  and 
pierced  with  their  cries.  This  wailing  and  shedding  of  tears  lasted  about 
three  or  five  minutes,  though  it  seemed  to  last  a  half  hour.  At  a  given 
signal  they  ceased,  wiped  their  ej^es,  and  quieted  down. 

"  Then  preparations  were  made  for  the  dance.  One  end  of  the  room 
was  set  aside  for  the  dressing-room.  The  chief  actors  were  five  men,  who 
were  muscular  and  agile.  They  were  profusely  decorated  with  paint  and 
feathers,  wliile  white  and  dark  stripes  covered  their  bodies.  They  were 
girt  about  tlie  middle  with  cloth  of  bright  colors,  sometimes  with  variegated 
shawls.  A  featlier  mantle  hung  from  the  shoulder,  reaching  below  the  knee; 
strings  of  .shells  ornamented  the  neck,  while  their  heads  were  covered  with 
a  crown  of  eagle  feathers.  They  had  whistles  in  their  mouths  as  they 
danced,  swa3-ing  their  heads,  bending  and  whirling  their  bodies;  every 
muscle  seemed  to  be  exercised,  and  the  feather  ornaments  quivered  with 
light.  They  were  agile  and  graceful  as  they  bounded  about  in  the  sinuous 
course  of  the  dance. 

"  The  five  men  were  assisted  by  a  semicircle  of  twenty  women,  who 
only  marked  time  by  stepping  up  and  down  with  short  step ;  they  always 
took  their  places  first  and  disappeared  first,  the  men  making  their  exit 
gra(!efu]ly  one  by  one.  Tlie  dresses  of  the  women  were  suitable  for  the 
occasion.  They  were  white  dresses  trimmed  heavily  with  black  velvet. 
The  stripes  were  about  three  inches  wide,  some  plain  and  others  edged  like 
saw-teeth.  This  was  an  indication  of  their  mourning  fi)r  the  dead  chief  in 
whose  honor  they  had  prepared  that  style  of  dancing.  Strings  of  haliotis 
and  pachydesma  shell  beads  encircled  their  necks,  and  around  their  waists 
were  belts  heavily  loaded  w-ith  the  same  material.  Their  head-dresses 
were  more  showy  than  those  of  the  men.  The  head  was  encircled  with  a 
bandeau  of  otters'  or  beavers'  fur,  to  which  were  attached  short  wires  stand- 
ing out  in  all  directions,  with  glass  or  shell  beads  strung  on  them,  and  at 
the  tips  little  feather  flags  and  quail  plumes.  Surmounting  all  was  a  pyra- 
midal i)lume  of  feathers,  black,  gray,  and  scarlet,  the  top  generally  being 
a  bright  scarlet  bunch,  waving  and  to.ssing  very  beautifully.  All  these 
combined  gave  their  heads  a  very  brilliant  and  spangled  appearance. 

"The  first  day  the   dance  was  slow  and  funereal,  in  honor  of  the 


BURIAL  FOOD  AND  SO?  (IS. 


99 


Yo-kal-a  cliiof  wlio  died  a  sliort  time  before.  The  music  was  mournful  and 
simple,  being  a  monotonous  chiuit  in  which  only  two  tones  were  used, 
accompanied  with  a  rattling  of  split  sticks  and  stamping  on  a  hollow  slab. 
The  second  day  the  dance  was  more  lively  on  the  part  of  the  men,  the 
nuisic  was  better,  employing  airs  which  had  a  greater  range  of  tune,  and 
the  women  generally  joined  in  the  chorus.  The  dress  of  the  women  was 
not  so  beautiful,  as  thoy  appeared  in  ordinary  calico  The  third  day,  if 
observed  in  accordance  with  Indian  custom,  the  dancing  was  still  more 
lively  and  the  proceedings  more  gay,  just  as  the  coming  home  from  a 
Christian  funeral  is  apt  to  be  much  more  jolly  than  the  going  init. 

"A  Yo-kai-a  widow's  style  of  mourning  is  peculiar.  In  addition  to  the 
usual  evidences  of  grief,  she  mingles  the  ashes  of  her  dead  husband  with 
pitch,  making  a  white  tar  or  unguent,  with  which  she  smears  a  band  about 
two  inches  wide  all  around  the  edge  of  the  hair  (which  is  previously  cut  off 
close  to  the  head),  so  that  at  a  little  distance  she  appears  to  be  wearing  a 
white  chaplet. 

"  It  is  their  custom  to  *  feed  the  spirits  of  the  dead '  for  the  space  of 
one  year  by  going  daily  to  places  which  they  were  accustomed  to  frequent 
while  living,  where  they  sprinkle  pinole  upon  the  ground.  A  Yo-kal-a 
mother  who  has  lost  her  l)abe  goes  every  day  for  a  year  to  some  place 
where  her  little  one  played  when  alive,  or  to  the  spot  whore  the  body  was 
burned,  and  milks  her  breasts  into  the  air.  This  is  accompanied  by  plaint- 
ive mourning  and  weejiing  and  piteous  calling  upon  her  little  one  to  return, 
and  sometimes  she  sings  a  hoarse  and  melancholy  chant  and  dances  with  a 
wild  ecstatic  swaying  of  her  body." 

SONGS. 

It  has  nearly  always  been  customary  to  sing  songs  at  not  only  fune- 
rals but  for  varying  periods  of  time  afterwards,  although  these  chants  may 
no  doubt  occasionally  have  been  simply  wailing  or  mournful  ejaculation. 
A  writer*  mentions  it  as  follows  : 

"At  almost  all  funerals  there  is  an  irregular  crying  kind  of  singing, 
with  no  accompaniments,  but  generally  all  do  not  sing  the  same  melody  at 

•Am.  Antiq.,  April,  May,  June,  1879,  p.  251. 


m  ^f  ■ 


100 


GHOST  (JAM ISLK- SIOUX. 


\ 


the  same  time  in  unison.  Several  nia}-  sinjj  the  same  song  and  at  the  same 
time,  but  each  begins  and  finishes  when  he  or  slie  may  wish.  Often  for 
weeks,  or  even  months,  after  the  decease  of  a  dear  friend,  a  living  one, 
usually  a  woman,  will  sit  by  her  house  and  sing  or  cry  by  the  hour;  and 
they  also  sing  f(»r  a  short  time  when  they  visit  the  grave  or  meet  an 
esteemed  friend  whom  they  have  not  seen  sim-e  the  decease.  At  the  fu- 
neral both  nien  and  women  sing.  No.  11  I  have  heard  more  frequently 
some  time  after  the  funeral,  and  No.  12  at  the  time  of  the  funeral,  by  the 
Twanas.  (For  song  see  p.  251.)  The  words  are  simply  an  exclamation  of 
grief,  as  our  wt»rd  'alas';  but  tlu^y  also  have  other  words  which  they  use, 
and  sometimes  they  use  merely  the  syllable  la.  Often  the  notes  are  sung 
in  this  order,  and  sometimes  not,  but  in  some  order  the  notes  do  and  la,  and 
occasionally  ml,  are  sung." 

GAMKS. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  describe  under  this  heading  examples  of  those 
athletic  and  gymnastic  performances  fidlowing  the  death  of  a  person  which 
have  been  described  by  Lafitau,  but  sim])ly  to  call  attention  to  a  practice 
as  a  secondary  or  adjunct  })art  of  the  funeral  rites,  which  consists  in  j>am- 
bling  for  the  ])ossession  of  the  property  of  the  defunct.  Dr.  Charles  E. 
j\I('Chesney,  U.  S.  A.,  who  for  some  time  was  stationed  among  the  Wah- 
])eton  and  Sisseton  Sioux,  furnishes  a  detailed  and  interesting  account  of 
what  is  called  the  "  ghost  gamble."  This  is  played  with  marked  wild- 
])]um  stones.     So  flir  as  ascertained  it  is  peculiar  to  the  Sioux. 

"After  the  death  of  a  wealthy  Indian  the  near  relatives  take  charge  of 
the  eflects,  and  at  a  stated  time — usually  at  the  time  of  the  first  feast  held 
over  the  bmidle  containing  the  lock  of  hair — they  are  divided  into  many 
small  piles,  so  as  to  give  all  the  Indians  invited  to  play  an  opportunity  to 
win  something  One  Indian  is  selected  to  represent  the  ghost,  and  ho 
plays  against  all  the  others,  who  are  not  required  to  stake  anything  on  the 
result,  but  sinqdy  invited  to  take  p.art  in  the  ceremony,  which  is  usually 
held  in  the  lodge  of  the  dead  person,  in  which  is  contained  the  bundle 
inclosing  the  lock  of  hair.  In  cases  where  the  ghost  himself  is  not  wealthy 
the  stakes  are  furnished  by  his  rich  friends,  should  he  have  any.  The 
players  are  called  in  one  at  a  time,  and  play  singly  against  the  ghost's 


(iUOST  GAMBLE— SIOUX. 


101 


I: 


ropresontativo,  the  }(aniblin;f  beiiifr  done  in  recent  years  by  raeans  of  cards 
If  tiio  invited  player  succeeds  in  beating  the  j^host,  ho  takes  one  of  the  jales 
of  goods  and  passes  out,  when  anotlier  is  invited  to  phiy,  etc,  tnitil  all  the 
piles  of  goods  are  won  In  cases  of  men  only  the  men  play,  and  in  cases 
of  v'omen  the  women  <»nly  take  part  in  the  ceremony. 

"  Before  the  white  men  came  among  these  Indians  and  taught  them 
numy  of  his  imjjroved  vices,  tliis  game  was  played  by  means  of  figured 
plum-seeds,  the  men  using  eight  and  the  women  seven  seeds,  figured  as 
follows : 

"Two  seeds  are  simjjly  blackened  on  one  side,  the  reverse  containing 
nothing.  Two  seeds  are  black  on  one  side,  with  a  suiall  spot  <»f  the  color 
of  the  seed  left  in  the  center,  the  reverse  side  having  a  black  spot  h^  tiie 
center,  the  body  being  jilain.  Two  seeds  have  a  biitfalo's  head  on  one 
side  and  the  reverse  simply  two  crossed  black  lines.  There  is  but  one  seed 
of  this  kind  in  the  set  used  by  the  women.  Two  seeds  have  half  of  one 
side  blackened  and  the  rest  left  plain,  so  as  to  represent  a  half  moon ;  the 
reverse  has  a  black  longitudinal  line  crossed  at  right  angles  by  six  small 
ones.  There  are  six  throws  whereby  the  })layer  can  win,  and  five  that 
entitle  him  to  another  throw.  The  winning  throws  are  as  follows,  each 
winner  taking  a  pile  of  the  ghost's  goods  : 

"Two  jdain  ones  up,  two  plain  with  black  spots  up,  liufFalo's  head  up, 
and  two  half  moons  up  wins  a  pile  Two  plain  black  ones  up,  two  black 
with  natural  spot  up,  two  longitudinally  crossed  ones  up,  and  the  transversly 
crossed  one  up  wins  a  jiile.  Two  plain  black  ones  up,  two  black  witli 
natural  spots  up,  two  half  moons  up,  and  the  transversely  crossed  one  up 
wins  a  pile.  Two  plain  black  f»ne.s,  two  black  with  natural  spot  up,  two 
half  moons  up,  and  the  buftalo's  head  up  wins  a  pile.  Two  plain  ones  up, 
two  with  black  spots  up,  two  longitudinally  crossed  ones  up,  and  the  trans- 
versely crossed  one  up  wins  a  pile.  Two  plain  ones  up,  two  with  black 
spots  up,  Buffalo's  head  up,  and  two  long  crossed  up  wins  a  ])ile.  The  fol- 
lowing throws  entitle  to  another  chance  to  win:  two  plain  ones  up,  two 
with  black  spots  up,  one  half  motm  up,  one  longitudinally  crossed  one  up, 
and  Buffalo's  head  up  gives  another  throw,  and  on  this  throw,  if  the  two 


m 


W^- 


102 


BURIAL  POSTS  AND  FIRES. 


plain  ones  up  and  two  with  black  spots  with  either  of  the  half  moons  or 
Burtalu's  JK'ad  up,  the  player  takes  a  pile.  Two  phiin  ones  u)),  two  with 
black  spots  up  two  half  moons  uj),  and  the  transversely  crossed  one  up 
I'Utitks  to  another  throw,  when,  if  all  of  the  black  sides  come  uj)  exceptin},^ 
one,  the  throw  wins.  One  of  the  plain  ones  up  and  all  the  rest  with  black 
sides  up  (fives  anotlier  throw,  and  the  same  then  turnin*^  up  wins.  One  of 
the  plain  black  ones  up  with  that  side  up  of  all  the  others  having  the  len.st 
black  on  gives  another  throw,  when  the  same  turning  up  again  wins.  One  half 
moon  up  with  that  side  up  of  all  the  others  having  the  least  black  on  gives 
aiutther  throw,  and  if  the  throw  is  then  duplicated  it  wins.  The  eighth  seed, 
tised  by  the  men  has  its  place  in  their  game  whenever  its  facings  are  men- 
tioned above.  1  transmit  with  this  paper  a  set  of  these  figured  seeds,  which 
can  be  used  to  ilhistrate  the  game  if  desu'ed.  These  seeds  are  said  to  be 
nearly  a  hundred  years  old,  and  sets  of  them  are  now  very  rare." 

For  assisting  in  obtaining  tliis  account  Dr.  McChesney  acknowledges 
his  indebtedness  to  Dr.  C.  C.  Miller,  physician  to  the  Sisseton  Indian 
Agency. 

POSTS. 

These  are  ]»laced  at  the  head  or  foot  of  the  grave,  or  both,  and  have 
painted  or  carved  on  them  a  history  of  the  deceased  or  his  family,  certain 
totemic  characters,  or,  according  to  Schoolcraft,  not  the  achievements  of 
the  dead,  but  of  those  warriors  who  assisted  and  danced  at  the  interment. 
The  northwest  tril>es  and  others  frequently  pl.ant  poles  near  the  graves, 
suspending  therefrom  Ijits  of  rag  flags,  horses  tails,  etc.  The  custom  among 
the  i)resent  Indians  does  not  exist  to  any  extent.  Beltrami*  speaks  of  it  fis 
follows: 

"Here  I  saw  a  most  singular  union.  One  of  these  graves  was  sur- 
iiu»unted  by  a  cross,  whilst  upon  another  close  to  it  a  trunk. of  a  tree  was 
raised,  covered  with  hieroglyphics  recording  the  number  of  enemies  slain 
by  the  tenant  of  the  tomb  and  several  of  his  tutelary  Manitous." 

FIRES. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  determine  why  the  custom  of  building  fires 
on  or  near  graves  originated,  some  authors  stating  that  the  scul  thereby 

*l'ilKrimiit!<-,  l&iri,  ii,  ii.  306. 


I 


BUUIAL  aUl'EUSTlTlONS— U1UAT8A. 


103 


i 


underwent  a  certain  process  of  imrification,  others  that  demons  were  driven 
away  by  them,  and  a<fain  tliat  they  wore  to  iitlord  h^Mit  to  the  wandering 
soul  settin}^  out  tor  tho  spirit  hind.  One  writer  statej,  that  "the  Algonkins 
beiiered  that  the  tire  lighted  nightly  on  the  grave  was  to  light  tho  spirit  on 
its  journey,  lly  a  coincidence  to  be  explaiuiid  by  the  universal  sacred- 
ness  of  the  nnndjcr,  both  Algonkins  and  Mexicans  maintained  it  for  four 
nights  consecutively.  The  former  related  the  tradition  that  one  of  their 
ancestors  retiuned  from  the  spirit  land  and  infornjed  their  nation  that  the 
j(»urney  thither  consumed  jnst  four  days,  and  that  collecting  fuel  every 
night  added  nuu;h  to  the  toil  mid  fatigue  the  soul  encountered,  all  of  which 
conld  be  spared  it."  So  it  would  appear  that  the  belief  existed  that  the  fire 
was  also  intended  to  assist  the  spirit  in  preparing  its  repast. 

"Stephen  Powers*  gives  a  tradition  current  among  the  Yurok  t»f  Cali- 
fornia as  to  tho  use  of  tires: 

"After  death  they  keep  a  fire  burning  certain  nights  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  grave.  They  hold  and  believe,  at  least  the  'l$ig  Indians'  do,  that  the 
spirits  of  the  departed  are  compelled  to  cross  an  extremely  attemiated 
greasy  pole,  wliich  bridges  over  the  chasm  of  the  debatable  land,  and  that 
they  re([uire  the  fire  to  light  them  on  their  darksome  journe}'.  A  righteous 
soul  traverses  the  pole  quicker  than  a  wicked  one,  hence  they  regulate  the 
number  of  nights  for  bmniug  a  light  according  to  tho  character  for  good- 
ness or  the  opposite  which  the  deceased  possessed  in  this  world."  Dr.  Emil 
Bessels,  of  the  Polaris  expedition,  informs  the  writer  that  a  somewhat 
similar  belief  obtains  among  the  Esquimaux. 

SUPEliSTITIONS. 

An  entire  volume  might  well  bo  written  which  should  embrace  only 
an  account  of  the  superstitions  regarding  death  and  burial  among  the 
Indians,  so  thoroughly  has  the  matter  been  examined  and  discussed  by 
various  authors,  and  yet  so  much  still  remains  to  be  connnented  on,  but  in 
this  work,  which  is  simply  preliminary,  and  is  hoped  will  be  provocative  of 
future  efforts,  it  is  deemed  sutficient  to  give  only  a  few  accounts.  The 
fii-st  is  by  Dr.  W.  Mathews,  U.  S.  A.,t  and  relates  to  the  Hidatsa : 

*C'i>iit.  to  N.  A.  KIliiiKl.,  1877,  ii,  p.  M, 

fErliiu.l.  iiiHl  I'hilol.  of  ilio  Ilidnltuv  luiliauH.  U.  8.  Oool.  Surv.  of  Terr.,  1877,  i>.  409. 


7.>"^ 


"'M 


104 


lU  RIAL  SIM'KRSTITIONS-CIIIITKWA. 


"When  a  Iliilathii  dio.s  Iuh  hIiuiIu  liii^urH  four  iii^^htH  around  tlio  caniit 
(»r  villa<,'(;  in  which  he  died,  and  tlicn  ;foeM  to  the  h»djfe  of  liis  ch'parted 
kiiuhed  in  the  '  vilh«{?e  of  the  dead.'  When  he  has  arrived  there  he  is 
rewarded  for  his  vah)r,  self-denial,  and  and)ition  on  earth  by  re('eivin;r  the 
same  rcfrard  in  the  one  plaee  as  in  the  other,  ft)r  there  as  here  the  brave 
man  is  honored  and  the  coward  desjtised.  Some  say  that  the  ghosts  of 
those  that  commit  suicide  occupy  a  separate  part  of  the  villaj^e,  but  that 
their  condition  ditfers  in  no  wise  from  that  of  the  others.  In  the  next 
world  huniiin  shades  hunt  and  live  in  the  shades  of  buffalo  and  other  ani- 
mals that  have  here  died.  TluaH',  too,  there  are  four  seasons,  but  they  (^omo 
in  an  inverse  order  to  the  terrestrial  seasons.  Duriu};  the  four  nights  that 
th(*  ghost  is  supposed  to  linger  near  his  former  dwelling,  those  who  dis- 
liked or  feared  the  deceased,  and  do  not  wish  a  visit  from  the  shade,  scorch 
with  red  coals  a  pair  of  moccasins  which  they  leave  at  the  door  of  the 
lodge.  The  smell  of  the  Iturning  leather  they  claim  keeps  the  ghost  out; 
l)ut  the  true  friends  of  the  dead  man  take  no  such  precautions." 

From  this  account  it  will  be  .seen  that  the  IHdatsa  as  well  as  the 
Algonkins  and  Mexicans  believed  that  four  da}'s  were  required  before  the 
spu'it  c(»uld  linally  leave  the  earth.  Why  the  smell  of  burning  leather 
slu)uld  l)e  otl'ensive  to  spirits  it  would  j)(!rliaps  be  fruitless  to  speculate  on. 

The  next  account,  by  Keating,*  relating  to  the  Chippewas,  shows  a 
slight  analogy  regarding  the  sli|)[)ery-poIe  tradition  already  alluded  to: 

"  The  Cliipp(?was  believe  that  there  is  in  man  an  essence  entirely 
distinct  from  the  body;  they  call  it  Ochechuff,  and  appear  to  supply  to  it  the 
(pialities  which  we  refer  to  the  soul.  They  believe  that  it  quits  the  body 
at  the  time  of  death  and  repairs  to  what  they  term  Chekechekchekawe ;  this 
region  is  supposed  to  be  situated  to  the  south  and  on  the  shores  of  the  great 
ocean.  Previous  to  arriving  there  they  meet  with  a  stream  which  they  are 
obliged  to  cross  upon  a  large  snake  that  answers  the  purpose  of  a  bridge ; 
those  who  die  from  drowning  never  succeed  in  crossing  the  stream ;  they 
are  thrown  into  it  and  remain  there  forever.  Some  souls  come  to  the  edge 
of  the  stream  but  are  prevented  from  passing  by  the  snake  that  threatens 
to  devour  them ;  these  are  the  souls  of  the  persons  in  a  lethargy  or  trance. 

•  Long's  UxpiMl.,  18a4,  ii,  p.  15S. 


UUIMAL  HIJI'KHSTITIUNH— KAKOK. 


10; 


,) 


IJciii},^  n'fnM'd  n  imHrtiifjo,  tlioso  kouIh  n-turn  to  their  IxxlifH  anil  reiiiiliDatt) 
tliciii.  Tluiv  bclifVi'  tliat  animals  have  souls,  aiidcNcii  tliat  inor'niiiic  sub- 
stanct's,  sucli  as  kettles,  cte  ,  have  in  them  a  similar  essence. 

"  In  this  lan<l  of  souls  all  are  treated  accordinj;-  to  their  uiorits.  Thoao 
who  have  been  j^ood  men  are  tree;  from  pain;  they  have  no  duticH  to  per- 
form, their  time  is  spent  in  danein;,''  and  sinjfiiifr,  and  they  feed  upon  mush- 
rooms, whieh  are  very  abundant.  The  souls  of  bad  men  are  haunted  by 
the  i)hantom  of  the  jjersons  or  things  that  they  have  injined;  thus,  if  a  man 
has  destroyed  much  property  the  phantoms  (»f  the  wrecks  of  this  property 
'.ibstruct  his  pas.><a<;(3  wherever  he  goes;  if  lie  has  been  cruel  to  his  dogs  or 
horses  they  also  torment  him  after  death.  The  ghosts  of  those  whom  dur- 
ing his  lifetime  he  wronged  are  there  permitted  to  avenge  their  injuries. 
They  think  that  when  a  sold  has  crossed  the  stream  it  cannot  return  to  its 
body,  yet  they  believe  in  apparitions  and  entertain  the  opinion-  that  the 
s|)irits  of  the  departed  will  freipienth-  revisit  the  abodes  of  their  friends  in 
order  to  invite  them  to  the  other  world  and  to  forewarn  them  of  their 
approaching  dissidution." 

Stephen  Powers,  in  his  vahmble  work  so  often  (juoted,  gives  a  number 
of  examples  of  superstitions  regarding  the  dead,  of  which  the  following 
relates  to  the  Karok  of  California : 

"  How  well  and  truly  the  Karok  reverence  the  memory  of  the  dead 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  highest  crime  one  can  commit  is  iho  pet-clti-c- 
ri,  the  more  mention  of  the  dead  relative's  name.  It  is  a  deadly  insult  to 
the  survivors  and  can  be  atoned  for  old}-  by  the  same  amoiuit  of  blood- 
money  paid  for  willful  murder.  In  default  of  that  they  will  have  the  villain's 
blood.  *  »  *  At  the  mention  t»f  his  name  the  moldering  skeleton  turns 
in  his  grave  and  groans.  They  do  not  like  stragglera  even  to  inspect  the 
burial  place.  *  *  *  They  believe  that  the  soul  of  a  good  Karok  goes  to 
the  'happy  western  land '  beyond  the  great  ocean.  That  they  have  a  well- 
grounded  assurance  of  an  immortality  beyond  the  grave  is  proven,  if  not 
otherwise,  by  their  beautiful  and  poetical  custom  of  whispering  a  message 
in  the  ear  of  the  dead.  *  <■  *  Believe  that  dancing  will  liberate  some 
relative's  soul  from  bonds  of  d«'ath  and  restore  him  to  earth.'' 

According  to  the  same  author,  wlien  a  Kelta  dies  a  little  bird  tlies  away 


VM 


')? 


■Y-^ 


# 


I 


106 


811(1(1  HHTIONS  Foil  COLLIiCTOUS. 


with  Iii'h  Houl  to  tho  Hi)ii'it  Innd     If  )io  whh  a  bud  Indian  a  liawk  will  catch 

tho  littlo  bird  and  eat  hini  up  houI  and  feathers,  but  if  hu  was  jrood  he  will 

reach  the  spirit  land.     Mr.   Powers  also  states  that  "The  Tolowa  share  in 

the  superstitions  ob.servance  for  the  nuniory  of  the  dead  which  is  conunon  to 

the  Northern  Calilornian  tribes.     When  I  asked  the  chief  Tahhokolli  to  tell 

me  the  Indian  words  for  'father'  and  'mother'  and  certain  others  similar,  he 

shook  liia  head  mournfully  and  said  'all  dead,'  'all  dead,'  'no  good.'     They 

are  forbidden  to  mention  tho  name  of  tho  dead,  as  it  is  a  deadly  insult  to 

the  relatives,"     *     *     «     and  that  the  "Mat-toal  hold  that  tho  good  de])art 

to  a  happy  region  somewhere  southward  in  the  great  ocojin,  but  tho  soul  of 

a  bad  Indian  transmigrates  into  a  grizzly  bear,  which  they  consider  of  all 

animals  the  ctaisin-german  of  sin." 

Tho  Mos(|uito  Indians  of  Central  America  studiously  and  suporstitiously 

avoid  mentioning  the  name  of  the  dead,  in  this  regard  resembling  thouo  of  our 

own  country. 

FINAL  UEMAUKS. 

We  have  thus  briefly,  though  it  is  hoped  judiciously  and  carefully,  re- 
viewed the  subject  of  Indian  biwial,  avoiding  elaborate  discussion,  as  foreign 
to  the  j)urpo.se  of  the  work,  siin])ly  pointing  out  from  tho  carefully  gleaned  ma- 
terial at  our  disposal  such  examples  and  detached  accounts  as  may  servo  as 
guides  to  those  whose  interest  in  the  subject  may  load  them  to  contribute  to  the 
final  volume.  Before  closing,  hovvover,  it  is  necessary  to  again  allude  to  the 
circularwhich  has  been  forwarded  to  observers  and  call  attention  to  some  addi- 
tional matters  of  importance  coimected  with  tho  queries,  which  are  as  follows  :* 

1st  Name  of  thk  tribe;  ])resent  appellation;  former,  if  differing  any; 
and  that  used  by  tho  Indians  themselves. 

2d.  LocALiTy,  PKESENT  AND  FOKMEB. — Tlio  rosponso  sliould  give  the 
range  of  the  tribe  and  bo  full  and  geographically  accurate. 

3d.  Deaths  and  funeral,  ceremonies;  what  are  the  important  and 
characteristic  facts  connected  with  these  subjects?  How  is  tne  corpse  pre- 
pared after  death  and  disposed  off  How  long  is  it  retained  ?  Is  it  spoken 
to  after  death  as  if  alive?  when  and  where?     What  is  the  character  of  the 


•Ailvimtnn"  lia»  bwii  tiikeii  to  iiirorpiiratc  with  tho  queries  certain  imulilicatioim  of  thosn  jini- 
|)oiiii(te(l  by  Schoolcraft  Id  his  well-kuuwu  work  on  tbu  ludiuu  tribes  uf  tho  United  States,  relating  tu 
the  eiumu  subject. 


be 


tivti 


4 


HII(J(}K8TI()NH  von  COLIiKCTOKH. 


107 


nddrt'HHOHl  What  nrticlcM  are  (Icpositod  with  it;  and  why  J  Ih  food  put 
in  the  grave,  or  in  or  near  it  afterwardH?  Ih  thix  Huid  to  bu  an  ancient 
ciiHtoni?  Are  porHonH  of  the  hmuv,  jjenH  huried  t«»gother;  and  ia  the  chin 
dintinction  ohnolete,  or  did  it  ever  prevail  i 

4th.  MaNNKR  of  IIURIAL,  ANOIKNT  AND  MOUEKN;  HTHlJCTl'Ui:  AND  POSI- 
TION OP  TiiK  ORAVK8;  cRKMATioN. — Aro  burialrt  nsualb  made  in  hijrlj  and 
dry  gnMUidrtf  Have  nioundH  or  tumuli  been  erected  in  njodern  times  over 
tljo  dcadf  How  is  the  grave  prepared  and  tiniHliedf  Wliat  jjosition  aro 
bodies  ])h»ced  in  ?  Give  reasons  therefor  if  possible.  If  cremation  ih  or 
was  practiced,  descnbe  the  process,  disposal  of  the  ashes,  and  origin  of 
custom  or  traditions  relating  thereto.  Are  the  dead  over  eaten  by  tho 
survivors'?  Aro  bodies  deposited  in  springs  f>r  in  any  body  of  water  ?  Aro 
Bcaff<dds  or  trees  used  as  burial  places;  if  so,  describe  construction  of  tho 
former  and  how  tho  corpse  is  prejiared,  and  whether  placed  in  skins  or 
boxes.  Are  bodies  placed  in  ciinoes?  State  whether  they  aro  suspended 
from  trees,  put  on  scaffolds  or  posts,  allowed  to  float  on  tho  water  or  sunk 
beneath  it,  or  buried  in  the  ground.  Can  any  reasons  bo  given  for  tho 
prevalence  of  any  one  or  all  of  the  methods  ?  Are  burial  posts  or  slabs 
used,  plain,  or  nmrked,  with  flags  or  other  insignia  of  position  of  deceased. 
Describe  embalnmient,  nunumification,  desiccation,  or  if  antiseptic  precau- 
tions aro  taken,  and  subserpient  dis])osal  of  remains.  Are  bones  collected 
and  reinterred ;  describe  ceremonies,  if  any,  whether  modern  or  ancient. 
If  charnel  houses  exist  or  havo  been  used,  describe  them. 

5th.  Mourning  ouservances. — Is  scarification  practiced,  or  personal 
mutilation'?  What  is  the  garb  or  sign  of  mourningl  How  are  the  dead 
lamentedl  Are  j)enodical  visits  made  to  tho  grave'?  Do  widows  carry 
symbols  of  their  deceased  children  or  husbands,  and  for  how  long'?  Aro 
sacrifices,  human  or  otherwise,  voluntary  or  involuntary,  oflFered?  Aro 
fires   kindled  on  graves;    why,  and  at  what  time,  and  for  how  long! 

6tli.  Burial  traditions  and  superstitions. — Give  in  full  all  that  can 
be  learned  on  these  subjects,  as  they  are  full  of  interest  and  very  important. 

In  short,  every  fact  bearing  on  tho  disposal  of  the  dead;  and  correla- 
tive customs  are  needed,  and  details  should  be  as  succinct  and  full  as  possible. 

One  of  the  most  important  matters  upon  which  information  is  needed 


y) 


i ' 


I 


108 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  COLLECTORS. 


is  the  "why"  and  "wherefore"  for  every  rite  and  custom;  for,  as  u  rule, 
observei's  are  content  to  simply  state  a  certain  occurrence  as  a  fact,  but 
take  very  little  trouble  to  inquire  the  reason  for  it. 

The  writer  would  state  that  any  material  the  result  of  careful  observa- 
tion will  be  most  gratefully  recoived  and  acknowledged  in  the  final  volume, 
and  he  would  here  confess  the  lasting  obligation  he  is  under  to  those  who 
have  already  contributed  in  response  to  his  call. 

Criticism  and  comments  are  earnestly  invited  from  all  those  interested 
in  the  s])ecial  subject  of  this  paper  and  anthropology  in  general.  Contribu- 
tions are  also  requested  from  persons  acquainted  with  curious  forms  of 
burial  prevailing  among  other  tribes  of  savage  men. 

In  addition  to  the  many  references,  etc ,  given  by  the  various 
members  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  communications  have  been  received 
from  the  following  persons,  although  their  accounts  may  not  have  been 
alluded  to  in  this  volume;  should  omissions  of  names  have  occurred  it  is 
hoped  attention  will  be  called  to  the  fact. 

The  writer  acknowledges  with  pleasure  the  assistance  he  has  received 
in  reading  the  proof  of  this  volume  from  Mr.  J.  C.  Pilling,  Dr.  Thomas  W. 
Wise  and  Mr.  R  W.  Hardy. 


] 
I 
c 
J 
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V 
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W 
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II. 
Ri 
Di 
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C.\ 

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Fl 

(i. 


m; 


LIST  OF  CONTRIBUTORS. 


^ 


*-3 


£.  H.  Alden. 

Du.  C.  P.  Allen. 

Gi;.v.  Benjamin  Alvord,  U.  S.  A. 

C.  V.  Baldwin. 

John  Ball. 

E.  A.  Uarueh. 

I)u.  John  H.  Baktuolf,  U.  S.  A. 

Lieut.  K.  5[.  Bass,  U.  S.  A. 

Lieut.  Eric  Bergland,  U.  S.  A. 

Dii.  E.  Bessels. 

John  Henry  Boner. 

UU.  W.  C.  BOTELER. 

Lieut.  .John  G.  Boukke,  U.  S.  A. 
Gen.  L.  p.  Bradley,  U.  S.  A. 

J.  L.   BURCHARD. 

Henry  BrnEUFiEi.D. 

William  N.  Byers. 

T.  A.  Cheney. 

Benjamin  Clark. 

Lieut.  VVillia.m  P.  Clarke, 

IT.  S.  A. 
W.  J.  CleveLiVnd. 
W.  L.  Coefiniierry. 
J.  F.  Cravens. 
W.  M.  Cu.rxiNOUAM. 
William  H.  Dall. 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Uanfortu. 
W.  n.  Danii-son. 
Wells  Drury. 
Harry  Edwards. 
Rev.  Edwin  Eells. 
Du.  Louis  Klsueihj. 
George  H.  Kielleu. 
Lieut.  George  K.  Eoui),  U.  S.  A. 
Dr.  Edward  Foreman. 
Cai't.  j.  H.  Gaoeiiy,  11.  S,  A. 
Dr.  W.  H.  Gardner,  U.  S.  A. 
Al.IlERT  S.  Gatschet. 
Florien  Giauque. 
G.  K.  Gilbert. 
Dr.  j.  W.  Given. 
t».  C.  Given. 


Dr.  P.  Grego. 

Rev.  Sherlock  Gregory. 

Dr.  Fordyce  Gkinnell. 

Dr.  j.  F.  Hammond,  U.  S.  A. 

A.  G.  Hennissee. 

Dr.  W.  j.  Hoffman. 

Col.  a.  L.  Hougu,  U.  S.  A. 

Dr.  Franklin  B.  Hough. 

Robert  Howell. 

C.  A.  Huntington. 

Dr.  George  W.  Ira. 

H.  P.  Jones. 

Capt.  W.  A.  Jones,  U.  S.  A. 

J  UDGE  Anthony  Joseph. 

M.  B.  Kent. 

H.  R.  Kervey. 

Dr.  James  P.  Ki.muall,  U.  S.  A. 

W.  M.  King. 

Dr.  j.  V.  Lauderdale,  U.  S.  A. 

Dr.  j.  L.  Leconte. 

George  W.  Lee. 

J.  M.  Lee. 

Dr.  Richard  Elmhurst  Light- 

burne,  u.  s.  a. 
Dr.  Rebecca  H.  Longshore. 
Col.  G.  >L\llery,  T^  S.  A. 
Dn.   Charles  E.   McChesney, 

U.  S.  A. 
Dr.  Augu.stin  j.  McDo.vald. 
Dr.  j.  C.  McKee,  U.  S.  A. 
.Dr.  James  McLaughlin. 
Dr.  T.  a.  McParlin,  U.  S.  A. 
L  L.  Maiian. 
Dr.  F.  S.  Maiteson. 
Gen.  M.  C.  Meigs,  U.  S.  A. 
Dr.  John  Menaul. 
Dr.  j.  L.  MILL.S. 

R.  H.  MiLROY. 

Dr.  RuDOLrii  Mueller. 

Dr.  William  M.  Notson,  U.  S.  A. 

Frank  M,  Offutt. 

W.  T.  OWS'.EY. 


Capt.  A.  D.  Palmer. 

Dr.  Edward  Palmer. 

C.  W.  Parrisii. 

George  H.  Perkins. 

J.  C.  Pilling. 

Cai't.  R.  H.  Pratt,  U.  8.  A. 

Hosp.-Stew.  Charles  Prlmbs, 

U.  .«!.  A. 
Dr.  Charles  Rau. 
Dr.  j.  Reagles,  V.  .S.  A. 
R.  S.  Robertson. 
Dr.  j.  T.  Rothrock,  U.  S.  A. 

C.  C.  ROYCE. 

S.  A.  Russell. 

C.  W.  Sander.son. 

Dr.  B.  G.  Semio,  U.  S.  A. 

Lieut.  Charles  .S.  Smith,  I '.  S.  A. 

Dr.  Joseph  R.  .Smith,  U.  S.  A. 

John  A.  Spring. 

0.  I-.  Straiton. 

Dr.  M.  K.  'J'aylor,  U.  S.  A. 

W.  H.  B.  'J  iiomas. 

Gen.  Charles  H.  Tompkins,  U.S.A. 

M.  Tompkins. 

Capt.  E.  J.  Tiio.mpson,  U.  S.  A. 

T.  M.  Trippe. 

S.  S.  TUltNEI!. 

Capt.  Fred.  Van  Vliet,  U.  S.  A. 

Gen.  S.  Van  Vliet,  IT.  S.  A. 

Lii;ut.  a.  W.  Vogdes,  U.  S.  A. 

W.  n.  Wheeler. 

Dr.  C.  a.  White. 

Dr.  W.  Whit.ney. 

Col.  Charles  WiiirrLESEY. 

Edward  J.  Wickson. 

Dr.  B.  G.  Wilder. 

Rev.  John  P.  Williamson. 

William  Wood. 

Dr.  j.  p.  Wright. 

S.  G.  Wright. 

Dr.  Lorenzo  J.  Yates. 

John  Young. 


n 


j 


Letters  and  papers,  to  forward  which  stamps  will  be  sent  if  requested, 
may  be  addressed  as  follows: 

DR.  H.  C.  YARROW, 
P.  0.  Box  585,  Washington,  D  C. 

109 


' 


WW- 


"^•«- r 


^^lE 


INDEX. 


Pngo. 

AchomA^  Indians,  bnrinl  And  cremation  of. 01, 62 

AInskncavo  liiirlnl 33,34 

Ali'titinnmiimnilra 43,44,45 

Aniipnt  burial  ciistoroa  of  Pcrsiang 8, 0, 10 

Antiquity  of  cronmtion 40 

Aiiuatic  burial,  Chcrokces B8 

Cliinonks 88 

Gosh-Utos 88,80 

U.t'pt'rboroana 88 

Icbtbyopliagions 88 

Itzaa 88 

Lotopbaginns 88 

A  8ccna  Indians 8 

Atwator,  Caleb 10 

Ilnctritins,  burial  cuetoi-a  of 10 

naUlor,  bnrialof 88 

Balearic  iHlaudcrs,  liurial  of 40 

Bancroft,  Hubert  11 13,05 

Barber,  E.  A 46,02 

Bartrnm,  William 14,25,77 

Basltet  iHiriul 84 

Bcaii,  ficorso  W 88 

Beckwciurtb,  Janics 00 

Beltrami,  ,T.C 03,102 

Benson,  H.C 02 

liivcrley,  l!iil)crt 35 

liluekbiHrs  burial 47,48 

Bliickfeet  lodtfe  burial 05 

tree  burial 07,08 

Bouaks,  crrmntiou  mytbsof 50,61 

Bono  boliscs 70 

Clioc  taws 76, 77 

Box  burial 05 

Bniiisford,  tT.S.N.,I)r.J.C 47 

Bri'beuf,  I'.do 04 

Brintoii,  Dr.  D.  G 70 

ISritouM,  living  Hcpulclierof , 00 

Bruhii'r,  Jacques  Jean 8, 74 

Burcliaixl.J.  L 15 

Burial  above  ground,  Sioux 03 

Burial  and  urvmution,  Acbouiani  Indians 01, 02 

inCalirornia 61,02 

In  Now  Jersey 02 

Burial,  aquatic,  Oosb-Utes 88, 80 

Burial  boxes  and  canoes 85 

Makab 84 

Burial  customs  of  Bactrlans 10 

Caspinns 10 

Cbickasans 14 

Hircanlans 10 


Pago. 

Bnrial  cnstoms  of  ITiprians 10 

Modes 10 

Portliians 10 

dances 05 

dance,  Iroqi!Ois 05,90 

Yo-kala 00,97,98,00 

feasts 93,04 

feast,  Qurons iM,05 

feasts,  superstitions  regarding 05 

tires 102,103 

fcKMl 05 

Yo-kal-tt 00 

and  dances 05 

and  snugs 09 

houses,  CoIumI>ia  Itivor 83, 84 

in  baskets 84 

in  boxes 65 

Clicrokecs 05 

Clioetaws 05 

Creeks 05,00 

incal)ins,  wigwams,  or  bouses 13 

cainis 48 

cainia,  Utali 48, 49 

caves 20 

eaves,  California 32,33 

logs    47 

mounds,  Missouri 17 

Obio 10,20,21,22 

of  Baldor 88 

Balearic  Islanders 49 

Blackbird 47,48 

Indiansof  Bound  Valley 15 

Museogulges 14 

on  trees  and  scaflfolds CO 

posts 102 

and  Arcs 102 

sacrilice  87,88 

sacriilce,  Tsiuuk 88 

scaffolds 08, 00 

songs 09,100 

Burials,  x<roviHinn:iI  arrangement  of 5 

Burial  superstitions,  Chippewa ...  104,105 

Ilidntsa 103,101 

Karok 105 

Kelt* 10,-.,100 

Mat.t(ial 100 

Tidowa   1 0« 

Turok 103 

Bnport«rrcne  and  ocrbil 81 

surface 47 

111 


1 


u 


112 


INDEX. 


Pago. 

Burial  urne 45 

Callfonila 40 

Georgia 46 

Muscogee 40 

New  Mexico 40 

Nicaragua 47 

Bumsidc,  Samuel  L 3b 

Cabin,  wigwnm,  or  house  Ijnrial 13 

Ciulildi'S,  inhumation  of 8 

Oaimhurial 48 

Utah 48,49 

California  burial  and  cremdtlon Gl,  62 

urns 40 

cave  burial 32,33 

Canes  scpulcbrales 10 

Canoe  burial,  ClnllumB 81,82 

Ciuiue  burial,  Indians  of  Oregon  and  Washington  ...  82, 83 

CanooB  and  burial  boxes 85 

Canoes,  inhumation  in 13 

Caniibs,  verification  of  death  of. 5.3, 54 

Caribs'  mouruiug 74 

Carolina  ti  ibes,  inhumation  of 6,7 

Caspians,  burial  customs  of lu 

Catlin,  Ocorgc 47,80,S« 

Caveburial 21) 

Alaska 33,34 

lunnit 33,34 

Utah 29,30,31,32 

Chaldean  urn  burial 45 

Chambt-red  mounds 17,18 

CUerukecs,  aquatic  burial  of 88 

burial  in  boxes 65 

partial  cremation  of 59, 60, 01 

Cheyenne  scaffold  burial 69, 70 

Cbickasaws,  burial  customs  of 14 

Chillivothu  moimd 21 

Chinook,  aquatic  burial  of 88 

Chippewa  burial  superst  itinnn , 104, 10.'> 

mourning  observances 01, 02 

Choctaw  bone  houses 70, 77 

Cbuctaws,  burial  in  boxes  of 65 

mourning  obserranco 92, 03 

ossuaries  of 25, 20, 77, 78 

Circular  of  c|ueric8 2, 3, 4 

Cists  or  stone  graves 15 

Clallam  eauoe  burial 81, 82 

Colchicns,  tree  burial  of 74 

Collectors,  suggestions  for '. . .  106, 107, 108 

Columlua  Kivor  burial  honses 83,84 

Conclamation  of  Romans 74,75 

Congaree  and  Santeo  Indians,  partial  embalment  of .  37, 38 

Contributors,  list  of 109 

Costa  Rica  Indians 65 

Coyotero  Apaches,  inhumation  of 11, 12 

Cox,  Ross 51 

Creeks,  burial  in  boxee  of 65,60 

Cnimation 49 

antiquity  of 49 

Florido 67,58 

furnace 68,69 

Indians  of  Clear  Lake 64, 65 

Indhmsof  Utah 68 

myths 49,60,51 

Bunaks 60,61 

Nisbioams   49,60 

Oregon 61,62,63 


Page. 

Cremation,  partial 69,00,61 

remarks  on 54 

Sen^l  Indians 65,56,57 

Tolkutins 51,  52,  .'SI 

Crow  lodge  burial 64,05 

CruwH,  uioumiug  o'  uorvanccs  of 00, 61 

Curti.tK,  Kdwiu  17,18 

Dull,  William  11 88,41 

Dunces,  burial 93 

and  burial  food 65 

Dance  for  the  dead 96 

Dead,  dance  for 66 

Dcrbiees,  living  sepulchera  of 90 

Eell8.RBV.M 81 

Effeden.t,  living  sepulchers  of 96 

Feasts,  burial 93,94 

Final  remarks 106 

Fires,  burial 102,163 

I'iake,  Moses 15 

Florida  burmi  mounds 23, 24, 25 

cremation 57,58 

Food,  burial 95 

Foreman,  Dr.  E 46,68 

Foster,  J.  W 45,60 

Fumuec  cremation 58, 59 

Gage  by,  U.  S.  A. .  Capt  J.  II 66 

Georgia  burial  unis 46 

"Ghost  gamble,", Sionx 100,101,102 

U  iunque,  Floriau 26 

Gildw,  George     10,54,82 

Gillman,  Henry 57 

"Oolgotbas,"  Mandans 80 

Grinnell,  Dr.  Fonlyce 7 

Grossman,  U.  S.  A.,  Capt  F.  E 11 

namniond,U.  S.  A.,Dr.J.F 65 

Uard.v,  K.  W 169 

Ilidatsa  burial  superstitions 163, 104 

IIind,U.Y 94 

Hiicanians,  burial  customs  of 10 

Hoffman,  Dr.  W.  J 11 

Hoi  brook,  W.  C 22 

Hough,  Franklin  B 12 

Houses,  bone    76 

Hurons,  burial  feasts  of 04,95 

Hyperboreans,  aquatic  bnrial  of 88 

Iberiaus,  burial  customs  of 10 

lehtbyophagi  aquatic  burial  of 88 

Illinois  burial  mounds 22,23 

Indians  of  Clear  Lake,  cremation 54,65 

of  Oregon  and  Washington,  canoe  burial 82, 83 

of  Utah,  cremation 68 

Inhumation 6 

Caddocs 8 

in  canoes 13 

Carolina  tribes '..  6,7 

Co}'atcro  Apaches 11,12 

Klamaths 10 

Massasaugas 12 

Mohawks 6,0 

NavnJos 14,15 

Pimas 11 

Wlchitas 7,8 

Innuit  cave  bnrial 33,34 

Introductory  remarks 1, 2, 4, 8 

Irish,  living  sepulchers  of 90 

Iroquois,  burial  dance  of 96,00 


■.,.  ^  (, 


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i/SrvN— . 


INDEX. 


113 


Pago. 

Ini(|iiois,  oasuariogof 78,70 

It7.ii.s,  aquatic  biiriiil  of KM 

J«-nkca,  Col.  C.  W 00 

JoIiiihUiii,  Adiim 50 

JiiuoH,  Cliai'U'H  C, Jr 77 

Jciiira,  l)r.  J.  S 10 

Kamk  bui  ial  siiporstitioos lOS 

KcaliuK,  WiUlam  n 68,104 

Kc'lta  burial  suporatitlona 103,100 

Ki'iit  iieky  iiiummies 38, 30, 40, 41 

Kitty-ktt-tats 7 

Klamaths,  inhumation  of 10 

KliuKbiil,  William 02 

hawstm,  John 37 

Li-ttcTof  transmittal vii 

List  of  voutributora 100 

Living  uopulvhors 80 

llritons 90 

Derbices DO 

Effcdcns DO 

Irish 00 

Massagdtica 00 

Tartars 00 

Lodge  burial,  Itlackfcet 05 

Crows  01,05 

Karivjos 05 

Sioux 03,64,65 

Log  burial 47 

Lotophagians,  aquat ic  buri;il  of 88 

Mnlinn,  L  L  Si 

Makah  burial  boxps 81 

JIauilan  "  Golgothas  " 80 

Musaagctics,  living  sepulchers  of 00 

Maaaaaaugas,  iuliuniation  of 12 

Matliiiwa,  tr.  S.  A.,  Dr.  W 103 

Mat'toal  burial  aupcratitiuna 100 

MtChi-anoy,  U.  S.  A.,'i)r.Clmrli'BE 100 

MclJonalil,  Dr.  A.  J 3n 

MiKiiiley,  William 40 

Mt'dva,  burial  I'uatouia  of 10 

Minaril,  Dr.  John 14 

Miami  Valley  mound  burial *J0 

MiUer,  Dr.  C.  C 103 

Mit<;hiU,Dr.  Samuel  L 30,41 

Mohawks,  inhumation  of 5,  (i 

Morgan,  L.  11 78, 05 

Mortuary  cuatoms  of  the  Persians 8, 0, 10 

Mound  burial,  Florida 23,24,25 

Illinois 22,23 

Miami  Valley 20 

Misaouri 17 

North  Carolina 20,27,28,211 

Tenneatiee 18,10 

Mound,  Chillicothe 21 

Mounds,  chambered  17, 18 

of  atone 21,  22 

Mourning  obscrruiices,  Caribs 74 

Chippewus 01, 02 

C  hoc  taws 92,  03 

Crows 90,01 

Sioux 72,7.1 

Mummies 34,  35 

Aleutian 43, 44, 45 

Kentucky 38,39,40,41 

Northwest  Coast 41,  42, 43, 44, 45 

South 'lU-oliaa 37,.')8 

8   Y 


Pago. 

Muramios,  Virginia 3.5,30,37 

Muret,  Pieno 8,  (;» 

Muscogee  burial  urus 4(i 

Muscugulge  Indians,  burial  of 14 

My  t  lis  of  criiuatiiiu 40, 50, 51 

Natchez  oaauariea 77 

Naviuo  loilgc  burial 05 

Navajos,  iuliiimation  of 14, 15 

New  Jersey,  burial  and  cremation  in 62 

New  Miaico  burial  uma 40 

Nicaragua  47 

Niahinams,  cremation  my t ha  of 49,  ,50 

Nonia,P.W 05 

Nortli  ('jtroliua  burial  mounds 20, 27, 28, 29 

Northweat  coaat  mummies 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 

Ohio  burial  mounds 19, '     M,  22 

Oregon,  cremation  in o^,  i>2, 53 

Ossuarua 70 

Oasuaries,  Clioctaw 77,78 

Iroiiuoia  78, 79 

Natchez 77 

Oasnary  of  Choctaws 25, 20 

Otis,  U.  S.  A.,  Dr.  George  A 09 

Parthians,  burial  customs  of 10 

Partial  cremation 59,00,01 

Cherokeea 50,00,01 

cmbalment,  Congaree  and  Sautee  Indians 37, 38 

acatl'old  burial  and  oaauariea 70 

Peraiana,  ancient  burial  customs  of 8, 9, 1 0 

mortuary  cuatoms  of  8,9,10 

Pilling,  J.  C  109 

Pimaa  Indiana 11 

iuliuniation  of 11 

Piukci'ton,  J(din 30 

Poata,  luirial    102 

and  llres,  iuiiiiil  102 

Powell,  Maj.  J.  W 10 

preface  by iii,  iv,  v,  vi 

Powers,  Stephen 05,90,103, 105 

Preface  by  ilaj.  .1.  W.  Powell iii,  iv,  v,  vi 

Proviaional  ai  rangement  of  burials 5 

Putuam.F.W 17,18 

tjiieries,  circular  of 2,  3, 4 

Remarks,  limil 100 

introductory 1, 2, 4,  5 

on  cremation 54 

Review  of  Turner's  narrative 73, 74 

Rolieitaon,  It.  S 47 

Roman,  Beniaid 14, 70 

Romans,  conclumat  ion  of 74, 75 

Round  Valley  Indians,  burial  of 15 

Sacrillce,  burial 87, 88 

Saner,  Mai'l  in 43 

Scallulda,  buiialon 08,69 

Scaffohl  burial,  Cheyenncs 09, 70 

Sioux 70,71,72,73 

Tanklouias '"''' 

Schoolcrutt,  Henry  R 37,60,  ."VI 

Scythians,  tree  burial  of '* 

Seuel  Indiana,  cremation  of 55, 5t!,  57 

Sepiilchera,  living *" 

Slieldou,  William ^^ 

Simpaon,  U.  S.A.,Capt.  J.n ^ 

Sioux  Imi  ial  above  ground '"^ 

"gboatgomble" 100,101,102 

IcMlge  burial 03,(M,03 


-4 


--r^|T 


T^fSiTSf" 


> 


n 


K 


..  ^V 


114 


/ 


INDEX. 


•^ 


^■ 


-^ 


'  '''^'i  •■I.- 


Sluiix  nionrniog  olmnrvanccs  72,73 

wttffoU  bmiiil 70,71,72.73 

SiiliitrA,  I'Toncp,  8t«no  gravua  ur  cUtg  of 15, 10 

Songs  aD<l  burinl  fowl 00 

burial 00,100 

South  OuTolUia  niununicA 37, 38 

urn  burial 45 

Spainliour,  Dr.  J.  Miiaun 26,20 

Stcmborg,  U.S.A.,Dr.GcorgeM 24,09 

StoDu  graves  or  ciats 19 

of  Solutrfi,  Franco 15,10 

Tennessee 15, 16 

mounds 21,22 

Suggestious  for  collectors 106, 107, 108 

Superstitions  roganllng  Imriiil  feasts 05 

Superterrenc  and  aerial  burial 81 

Surface  burial 47 

Swallow,  G.C 45 

Tartars,  living  sepulcbers  of 90 

tree  burial  of 74 

Tennessee  nionnd  buriul 18,10 

stone  g.-uves  or  cists 15,16 

Tiffany,  A.  S 58 

Tol1<otin,  creiniition SI,  52,  53 

Tolowa  burial  superstitions 106 

Tompkins,  U.  S.  A.,  Gen.  Cliarlos  n 02 


Jf 


Pogc. 

Transiiiittul,  lefterof tU  . 

Treoaud  Hcatfold  Imrial flQ 

burial,  Itbiclcfeet.... 07,88 

Culcbiens f4 

Si'.ythians , 74 

Tartars 74 

Tsinfll<  burial  sacrlllco 86 

Turner,  Dr.  L.  8 70,73 

Um  burial 45 

Chaldeans 45 

South  Carolina 45 

Utah  cftvo  burial 20, 30, 31, 32 

Van  Campcn,  Moses 12 

VeriBcaUooof  death  of  Caraibs .W,  54 

Virginia  mummies 85, 36, 37 

Whitney,  J.  D 32 

Wichitas,  inhumation  of 7,8 

Wilcox,  Mr  60 

Williins,  Charles 30 

Wise,  Dr.  TIios-W 100 

Yanlctonius,  scaffold  burhilaf 06 

Yo-1uU-a Imrial  danco 00, 07,08, do 

foo4l 00 

Young,  John     07 

Ynrok,  burial  superstitiona  of. 103 


■V 


) .,,  i     v. 


*«••  if  - 


..>.v....  ■  .  ... 


^., 


.i 


